@Deglassco @Champagne
Wearing knickerbockers in that era would be more likely be a teenager. The young woman behind him looks teenaged, also.

The prominent woman on the left has sort of a "What are you doing and why are we doing this?" expression on her face-- rather disapproving. Maybe she's the mother and doesn't approve of her girls posing shamelessly for strange men with cameras, encouraging strangers to STARE at them.

(Oh, my! Scandalous! It was probably considered to be very unladylike at that time, I would imagine. Studio photographers were reputable, but street photographers would have been associated with carnivals and hucksters.)

Do you know their names at all? Even just a family surname?

https://diggingintoyourfamilytree.wordpress.com/2020/08/18/whos-in-that-photo-identifying-ancestors-and-dating-old-photos/

@Deglassco
I *think* the young ladies *might* be holding appointment books. That could mean they were in the higher sections of their economic social group, going out to meet up with people at their homes (Victorian visiting ettiquette).

The fans hanging off their dresses indicates they were socializing at the time, interacting with people in a respectable scenario, probably young men. A lady would especially use the fan as a way to flirt.😉

Perhaps they were out meeting portential husbands? Mom was likely the disapproving Chaperone here, based on her expression. (NO proper lady would go visiting men alone.)

Interestingly, some quick research shows that in that year, the town was home to TWO #HBCUs -- Wiley University & Bishop College (latter now in Dallas). Perhaps their College Historians might be interested to have a look?

But this college info also indicates the presence of an economic high society among the Black community there at the time.

https://ntsusa.org/fan-victorian-flirting/