Called to the Camera: Black American Studio Photographers

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Image courtesy of NOMA

Hooks Brothers Studio, Untitled [Hooks’ School of Photography Students Reviewing Photographs], c. 1950. Detail, Gelatin silver print, Collection of Andrea and Rodney Herenton. (The Hooks Brothers Photograph Collection, consisting of original photographs, negatives, equipment, and ephemera was acquired by the RWS Company, LLC in 2018.)

Since even the relatively early days of photography's conception, many Black photographers have worked in commercial portrait studio settings. In the past these photographers and the portraits they captured went largely under-celebrated—the New Orleans Museum of Art hopes to change that with the first-of-its-kind exhibition Called to the Camera: Black American Studio Photographers. Through 150 photographs spanning from the nineteenth century through today, the exhibition underscores the artistry and social/political influence Black portrait studio photographers have had across the country. noma.org.