On View
Visual Arts Gallery
Exhibition
Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.
Created by
Polk, P. H., American, 1898 - 1984
Subject of
Unidentified Woman or Women
Date
1932
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
Dimensions
H x W: 10 x 8 in. (25.4 x 20.3 cm)
Caption
When she came in the studio, while I was getting my camera ready, I looked up, and I said, ‘That woman can boss anybody.’ . . . And there she is.
P. H. Polk served for 50 years as the official photographer for Tuskegee University (formerly the Tuskegee Institute). In this role, he made portraits of prominent African Americans and recorded the service of Tuskegee school associates, including many images of George Washington Carver. Importantly, he also produced powerful images of everyday African Americans. The woman featured here was on the Tuskegee campus for a farmer’s convention when Polk invited her to his studio. In the resulting photographs, Polk beautifully captures her commanding presence. Despite her worn garb, the woman conveys power, control, and confidence.
Description
Silver gelatin photograh featuring an image of a woman wearing headscarf with her hands placed on her hips.
Place captured
Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Type
gelatin silver prints
portraits
Topic
Agriculture
American South
Photography
Women
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Delano A. Willis
Object number
2009.30.1
Restrictions & Rights
© Tuskegee University Archives
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5d1bbfe86-f0e4-42c3-9cad-fbe0758113b7

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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