Please note: The exact date these photos were taken is unknown.
Description
These images spotlight the Three Kings nativity figures that Bayard Rustin and Walter Naegle discovered in France in the early 1980s and lovingly unpacked each Christmas. The Magi’s long journey, risky defiance of Herod, and extravagant gift-giving echo themes that shaped Rustin’s own life, including recognition of the sacred in the overlooked, devotion that costs something, and moral courage in the face of power. These qualities turn this small trio of figures into the quiet heart of their annual holiday ritual rather than simple seasonal décor.
The images document Rustin’s shared household with his partner Walter Naegle, highlighting how spiritual and seasonal traditions were woven into their everyday life as a couple. The French Three Kings figures, lovingly brought out each year, speak to Rustin’s long-standing engagement with Christian symbolism and sacred art, already visible in his performances of spirituals and his comfort drawing on biblical language in political work.
Private collection of Walter Naegle, “Bayard Rustin with Three Kings Nativity Figures,” color photographs, ca. early 1980s.
