The person who snapped this photograph is unknown but bless him for taking this picture.
As most readers here know, photography before 1900 was a painstaking luxury only the well-off could afford. (Painstaking because of the long exposure time that required a person to hold unnaturally still for a minute or longer.) We have very few pictures of ordinary and poor people before the turn of the century–particularly candid photos. It’s also fairly unusual to see people smiling like the man in this photo is.
Mississippi Dep’t of Archives & HistoryI doubt there are many candid photos of elderly black men in the south prior to 1900, but at least we know at least one exists!
This photograph was taken in 1890 in Natchez, Mississippi.
old spirituals 
He is dressed for success: bowler hat, top coat, cane and a basket-style briefcase.
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I thought the cane was the kind that blind people carry. I’m not sure about that but it seemed likely because blindness from vitamin deficiency was so common in the south at the time. Lots of the best musicians were blind. Blind Willie McTell is my favorite but there were many others. Blind Lemon Johnson, Blind Gary, etc.
Aah, there I go. Once a friend accused me of just looking for reasons to bring up Blind Willie McTell. I can’t help it. He was great!
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You may be correct. I base my conclusion on the diameter and length of the cane, characteristics common to support weight, and that he appears holding the wrought iron fence for support because the cane is not in a supportive position. But we’ll never know for sure.
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Oh, you may be right after all!!
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You’ve got such an eye for detail, I bet you’re right!
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