Running head: THROUGH THE LENS Ginther 1

Through the Lens: A Glimpse into the Art of African American Photographers

Curriculum Development Project

Betsy Ginther

EDUPL 863: History of African American Education 1700 to 1950

Professor Gordon

29 November 2011

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Overview Photographs capture still images of what is often a very dynamic world. Photographers

are the people behind the lens recording those events and creating some of the most iconic

images history has ever seen. Wars, record-breaking sporting events, natural disasters and

wonders, and the faces that personify our most recognizable speeches, protests, triumphs and

defeats are all frozen in time thanks to the vision of photographers. There are nature and

landscape photographers, those who specialize in portraits, and those whose specialty lies in

snapping images of have worked in all

categories, transcending color lines with their art.

Art is a powerful medium through which to engage with social, political, and economic

issues. Examining paintings and sculptures is a valuable way to encourage students to ask

questions about their world, but diving into the world of photography brings an element of reality

to art. When students can look at a photo of a rally or a demonstration, or see in a photo the

devastation of poverty, they are provided an opportunity to glimpse into real situations where

real people lived, worked, struggled, and succeeded. In many ways, photography is an ideal

compliment to any history lesson, because of the connections photos are able to forge between

their audiences and the subject matters they depict. For that reason, I feel it is important to

introduce students to the photography produced by and focused on the African American

community in the United States. History teachers especially will benefit from the inclusion of a

unit on this subject. It is something different, yet something that expands the scope of what is

already to be taught in a history classroom. In addition, students will enjoy learning about and

through a different medium. We all know how refreshing it is to see students excited about what

they are taught, and introducing a unit which centers on a new and different topic will hopefully

encourage that student enthusiasm.

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Photography dates back to the early part of the nineteenth century. According to

National Geographic (2009), French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce is responsible for the

first recorded permanent image. In 1826, he used a camera obscura to achieve production of an

image of his estate. In 1839, a different Frenchman, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (a painter

and chemist) used a camera obscura and his own invention of a daguerreotype process to

produce a photograph including a person for the first time in history (National Geographic,

2009). At this point, moving objects did not make it into photographic productions, but still

objects were able to be included (National Geographic, 2009). The first color photo was

produced by James Clerk Maxwell in 1861. According to National Geographic (2009), this

Scottish physicist started the process of making color images a reality. In 1878, English

horses in motion, but they set the stage for further photos depicting humans and other animals,

and eventually, leading to the development of cinematography (National Geographic, 2009).

Needless to say, the art and science of photography have come a long way. The first commercial

digital camera was introduced by Kodak in 1991 and today, twenty years later, digital cameras

are everywhere (National Geographic, 2009). Film and the large, bulky cameras that used to be

the go-to equipment for photographers are things of the past, to which many students today have

had little to no exposure.

The

the creativity and artistic achievements of African Americans. Alain Locke, a Howard

University professor of philosophy, wrote an essa

he called for a recharging of the spirit of the African American. In the words of Locke (1925),

-respect and self-dependence, the life of the Negro community is bound

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to enter a new dynamic phase, the buoyancy from within compensating for whatever pressure

Statements such as this quickly encouraged

artists to begin producing the musical, literary, performance, and visual art masterpieces that

comprised the Harlem Renaissance. A new image of African Americans emerged during the

Harlem Renaissance- an image that drew attention to the achievements of African Americans in

areas that had previously been dominated by members of the white community.

Well-known African American photographers include figures such as Ernest C. Withers,

James Van Der Zee, The Goodridge Brothers, and Winifred Hall Allen. These artists lived and

worked at different times, and therefore were able to experience firsthand the subjects that fill

their photographs. For instance, Ernest C. Withers, who was primarily based in Memphis,

captured images of many of the key historical events featured in the exhibits at the Smithsonian

National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). According to the

NMAAHC (2011), -depth the story of the Negro Leagues, especially

the teams and athletes that played at black-owned Martin Stadium; THE Memphis music schen

Withers Photography Collection). John Jezierski s book, Enterprising Images: The Goodridge

brothers, African American photographers, 1847-1922, inspired an exhibit about the Goodridge

Brothers at the Michigan Historical Museum. The exhibit also traveled to other locations in

Michigan and Pennsylvania in order to showcase the work of the accomplished brothers.

Wallace and William Goodridge built a solid reputation as photographers, documenting many

aspects of life in the mid to late 19th century and into the 1900s (State of Michigan, 2011,

Enterprising Images: Michigan Historical Museum, Time Line of Family and Studio History).

Their reputation even spread into the white community, which frequently patronized the

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Goodridge family business, even after Plessy v. Ferguson (State of Michigan, 2011, Enterprising

Images: Michigan Historical Museum, Success in a Segregated World). Harlem remained a

consistently chosen subject for many African American photographers because of its connection

to the Harlem Renaissance and its plethora of photo-worthy people and events. James Van Der

Zee and Winifred Hall Allen are two examples of photographers based in Harlem who took

much of their inspiration from the scenes unfolding around them. Van Der Zee worked to

capture images that presented Harlem in the best light (Sean McCollum, 2011, Photographer

James Van Der Zee ). This photographer worked especially with middle-class African

Americans in the 1920s (Sean McCollum, 2011, Photographer James Van Der Zee). Winifred

Hall Allen accomplished a great deal as a female, African American artist in early to mid

twentieth century America. She too documented much of the activity in Harlem- everything

from businesses, to social gatherings, to portraits (Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, 1986, p. 60-71).

Calling attention to social issues through photographs is not an uncommon practice.

Photography, of all the arts, is one way through which to connect, in a very real sense, subjects

and audiences. Photographs offer a tangibility, a sense of reality. It is understandable, then, why

many photographers use their skills to capture images of events such as marches,

demonstrations, and protests. Additionally, images of housing crises, poverty, and acts of

discrimination and racism carry the power to stir audience emotions- with the intention of

inspiriting productive action. African American photographers, such as James Presley Ball,

Marvin and Morgan Smith, and Gordon Parks took up this torch in their artistic endeavors.

Institutions such as the Smithsonian and the Schomburg Center have collections that document

the work of African American photographers and the various historical, social, cultural, and

political events that were captured by these artists and their visionary lenses.

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It is the intention of this curriculum unit to introduce students to an additional side of

African American history that is not often included in school lessons. Photographs provide

important perspective and photographers continue to add to the presentation of history in creative

and tangible ways. Included below is a sampling of images related to this unit. The books and

websites listed in the References/Bibliography section of this paper provide a wide range of

sources of images.

Helen Ann Smith at Harlem House, Beale St, Memphis, TN, c. 1950, © Ernest C. Withers, Courtesy Panopticon Gallery, Boston, MA

 

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Wallace Goodridge- In the early 20th century, many middle-class women belonged to informal clubs and amateur theatrical groups. At least a dozen such Saginaw groups turned to Wallace and his new magnesium flash process to record their evening productions (State of Michigan, 2011,

Enterprising Images: Michigan Historical Museum, Success in a Segregated World).

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William Goodridge- William s lumbering images went beyond simple documentation to capture the impact of logging railroads and technology, as well as the magnitude of the lumber industry

in the Saginaw Valley in the mid-1880s (State of Michigan, 2011, Enterprising Images: Michigan Historical Museum, Photographers of Choice).

James Van Der Zee (Phillips Exeter Academy website)

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Winifred Hall Allen (Images from Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, 1986, Viewfinders: Black Women

Photographers)

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Marvin and Morgan Smith, Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. leads pickets against unfair hiring practices of Harlem 125th Street McCrory s, ca. 1940 (Image from Deborah Willis & Howard

Dodson, 1989, Black Photographers Bear Witness: 100 Years of Social Protest)

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Gordon Parks, Black Children with White Doll, ca. 1942 (Image from Deborah Willis & Howard

Dodson, 1989, Black Photographers Bear Witness: 100 Years of Social Protest)

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Activities Classroom activities should supplement the material presented in ways that encourage

students to make connections with the material. In the case of a unit focusing on African

American history 1700-1950, the purpose of activities should be to forge a better understanding

of the experiences of real people in real, day to day (and extraordinary) situations. Including a

special section on African American artists, namely photographers, is an excellent way for

students to see not only the artistic work of historical figures, but also images that provide a

sense of historical conditions and events.

*The activities included in this section are ideally designed to be done in sequence, but

they certainly can be used separately.*

Activity #1 Word search Even high school students enjoy activities like word searches. This fun, lightened

learning exercise is a good way to introduce students to many of the commonly used terms

associated with photography, as well as some of the important figures and subjects in African

American photography. Students will learn a great deal from this exercise, often without

realizing they are learning. See below for a model word search. Teachers may create their own

puzzles, or find resources for other puzzle games at

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp  

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African American Photography Through History

R  N  O  T  C  W  F  G  K  X  H  R  H  X  T  G  C  W  A  C  L  O  F  D  A  A  R  E  M  A  C  L  A  T  I  G  I  D  R  A  A  I  T  I  A  R  T  R  O  P  R  L  P  Q  K  N  T  E  E  M  N  T  L  C  L  T  Y  H  H  D  L  R  F  V  I  J  Z  C  M  E  D  A  D  O  U  M  I  X  T  S  R  P  G  F  W  H  U  N  A  R  S  R  E  H  T  O  R  B  E  G  D  I  R  D  O  O  G  A  C  A  C  T  T  F  E  R  N  B  I  I  H  E  V  T  Z  G  T  R  E  O  A  S  X  R  U  M  Z  P  N  H  D  T  S  T  Z  K  D  F  M  B  P  N  J  B  Y  M  R  E  O  H  X  I  L  G  Y  I  T  V  O  S  E  O  U  A  D  Q  G  Z  A  X  T  E  A  G  M  W  I  E  R  C  S  M  N  K  Q  A  O  L  M  R  H  A  R  L  E  M  I  A  H  U  K  E  G  G  T  U  L  N  A  S  H  A  G  M  G  V  Y  C  C  R  L  D  L  I  C  A  B  N  N  D  I  H  Y  S  M  D  B  R  O  A  C  I  V  I  L  R  I  G  H  T  S  M  O  V  E  M  E  N  T  U  D  E  T  L  Z  E  G  P  A  Q  P  X  D  C  W  F  G  X  U  D  S  S  E  C  O  R  P  E  P  Y  T  O  E  R  R  E  U  G  A  D  T  N  S  C  H  O  M  B  U  R  G  C  E  N  T  E  R  W  T  X  Q  Y  O  I  X  Q  E  T  V  A  N  D  E  R  Z  E  E  C  R  K  N  Y  I  K  V  D  O  I  E  U  M  A  W  T  X  E  P  I  E  Q  R  F  N  Y  D  T  E  G  K  J  H  K  Y  F  P  C  H  G  R  Q  

ARTIST             FRANCE  GOODRIDGE  BROTHERS         HARLEM  LANDSCAPES           NEGATIVES  PORTRAIT           SCHOMBURG  CENTER  VAN  DERZEE           WINIFRED  HALL  ALLEN  AUTOCHROME-­CAMERA         CAMERA  OBSCURA  CIVIL  RIGHTS  MOVEMENT         DAGUERREOTYPE  PROCESS  DEMONSTRATION           DIGITAL  CAMERA  EXHIBIT  FILM     Activity #2 Exhibit pitch *It would be really beneficial if at some point prior to this unit/activity, students had the

opportunity to participate in a museum field trip (of any kind). This trip is not necessary, but

should the opportunity be available, it would be a rewarding experience and one that would

provide some additional perspective.*

Students will be responsible for designing a museum exhibit that shows works by African

American photographers. This is a group project that is designed to build creative thinking as

well as presentation skills. Students will work together to design a museum exhibit and

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creativity develop a persuasive pitch to the museum board of directors. Visual materials are of

significant importance to this project, whether they are in the form of PowerPoint presentations,

booklets, handouts, and/or presentation boards. Students are encouraged to dress for the part and

really embrace the idea of making a professional pitch to their employers. Group presentations

should be 3 to 5 minutes.

Logistics

-Depending on the size of the class, students should be put into groups of 3 to 4

-Groups will turn in a written exhibit proposal, as well as provide visual materials for their

presentation

-The written proposal should be 2 to 4 pages in length (typed, double spaced) and will

include:

-

fit with the mission of the museum and potential audience interests

-Explicit reasons why the students believe the artists/artwork should be included

in the exhibit

-Ideas about how the exhibit will be organized

-Ideas about flyers/any supplemental materials the museum should produce to

accompany the exhibit

-Suggestions for how th

exhibit into its programming (aka if/how the education department can market the exhibit to

school groups?)

Activity #3 Writing as a reporter Students will have the opportunity to improve their writing techniques through this

activity. Each student will be responsible for writing a newspaper or magazine article from the

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perspective of a reporter assigned to cover an exhibit of African American photographers. Print

media style and techniques should be incorporated into the article.

Project specifics

-The first page of each student s assignment will be a short description of the

newspaper/magazine for which the article is written. This description should include

information about such things as where the publication is based, who the audience is, etc.

-Articles should be formatted accordingly and should be approximately 2 to 3 pages in

length.

Brainstorming questions for students

-

-What is the history of the gallery/museum where the photography exhibit is on display?

-What kind of brief, informational background can I provide about African American

photography/photographers?

-What were the responses of the African American and white communities to the artist?

-Where did the artist find inspiration?

-What subjects did the artist typically photograph?

-Any information about patrons or audiences?

Activity #4 In-depth portrait of an African American photographer As a culminating project in the unit, students will be asked to uncover as much as they

can about an African American photographer of their choice. Any African American

photographer who produced work during the period of the 1820s to the 1950s is acceptable for

this project. This research project requires students to choose an artist and support their choice:

Projects will be typed, double spaced and should

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range from 8 to 10 pages, with images and visual materials to support their work. Primary

historical documents should be consulted and cited, when available. Students may choose to

create a visual aid to accompany their research project. For example, students may put together a

Creativity, of course, is encouraged!

Points of investigation include:

-How did the artist get his/her start?

-Did they study photography at a school or institute? If so, where? If not, how did they

learn their craft?

-Was the artist seen as breaking with stereotypical crafts/trades by becoming a

photographer?

-If so, how did they earn this distinction?

*The Michigan Historical Museum website also lists some activities that teachers may wish to

consider. These activities are associated with the exhibit about the Goodridge Brothers, but the

ideas themselves could be applied to other photographers. Also, some adjustment may need to

be made for a high school classroom.*

http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/museum/explore/museums/hismus/special/goodridg/activities/act

ivities.html

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References/Bibliography Blair, S. (2007). Harlem crossroads: Black writers and the photograph in the twentieth century.

Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. (2011). http://thewright.org/

Chicago Alliance of African American Photographers. (2010). http://caaap.org/

Coar, V. H. (1983). A century of black photographers: 1840-1960. Providence, RI: Rhode Island

School of Design.

Discovery Education. (2011). PuzzleMaker.

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp

Haskins, J. (1991). James Van DerZee: The picture- . Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press,

Inc.

Jezierski, J. V. (2000). Enterprising images: The Goodridge brothers, African American

photographers, 1847-1922. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press.

, introduction to The new negro: An interpretation. In A.

Locke (Ed.), The new negro (pp. 3-16). Retrieved from

http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/pdocs/locke_new.pdf

McCollum, S. (2011). Photographer James Van Der Zee . Scholastic, Inc.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/photographer-james-van-der-zee

Moutoussamy-Ashe, J. (1986). Viewfinders: Black women photographers. New York, NY:

Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc.

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National Geographic.

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photographers/photography-

timeline.html

Oakland Museum of California. (2003). Exhibitions. Reflections in black: Smithsonian African

American photography. http://museumca.org/exhibit/exhi_rib.html  

Phillips Exeter Academy. (2011). James Van Der Zee photography exhibit.

http://www.exeter.edu/news_and_events/news_events_847.aspx

Photographers Direct: Professional African-American photographers United States. (2011).

http://www.photographersdirect.com/professionals/united_states/african-american-

photographers.asp

Siskind, A. (1990). Harlem: Photographs by Aaron Siskind, 1932-1940. Washington, D.C.:

Smithsonian Institution Press.

Smith, S. M. (2004). Photography on the color line: W. E. B. Du Bois, race, and visual culture.

Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Smithsonian Institution. (2011). Smithsonian photography initiative.

http://photography.si.edu/default.aspx

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. (2011). Ernest C.

Withers photography collection. http://nmaahc.si.edu/section/collections/view/97

State of Michigan. (2011). Enterprising images: Michigan Historical Museum. Activities.

http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/museum/explore/museums/hismus/special/goodridg/activ

ities/activities.html

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State of Michigan. (2011). Enterprising images: Michigan Historical Museum. Photographers of

choice.

http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/museum/explore/museums/hismus/special/goodridg/sagin

aw/choice.html

State of Michigan. (2011). Enterprising images: Michigan Historical Museum. Success in a

segregated world.

http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/museum/explore/museums/hismus/special/goodridg/sagin

aw/success.html

State of Michigan. (2011). Enterprising images: Michigan Historical Museum. Time line of

family and studio history.

http://www.hal.state.mi.us/mhc/museum/explore/museums/hismus/special/goodridg/timel

ine.html

Sussex PhotoHistory (2011). The Daguerreotype process. http://www.photohistory-

sussex.co.uk/dagprocess.htm

The American Museum of Photography. (2011). http://www.photographymuseum.com/

The Exposure Group: African American photoprahpers association in Washington, D.C. (2011).

http://www.exposuregroup.org

Willis, D. (Ed.). (2007). Let your motto be resistance: African American portraits. Washington,

D.C.: Smithsonian Books.

Willis, D. (2002). Reflections in black: A history of black photographers 1840 to the present.

New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Willis, D., & Dodson, H. (1989). Black photographers bear witness: 100 years of social protest.

Williamstown, MA: Williams College Museum of Art.

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Willis-Thomas, D. (1985). Black photographers, 1840-1940: An illustrated bio-bibliography.

New York, NY: Garland Publishing, Inc.