Original 1947 AP Wire Photo featuring George Washington Hensley, one of the most influential figures in the history of Appalachian snake-handling Pentecostalism. The attached AP caption identifies Hensley handling a snake atop a courthouse monument in Harlan, Kentucky, while fellow sect member Odie Shupe balances a snake on his head and a Bible in hand. The image documents members of the "Faith Healers" sect during a period of legal controversy surrounding Kentucky laws prohibiting public snake handling. Measures approximately 7½" x 7½". This photograph originated from a large newspaper archive assembled and retained by a Pennsylvania newspaper near Pittsburgh. Original AP caption remains attached to the mount. Condition shows newsroom handling wear, irregular trimming of the mount, tape remnants, edge wear, creasing, and age-related imperfections consistent with archive storage. Please see photos.
