Deborah Willis, a photographer, curator, and historian, has been on a journey to uncover the history of Black photographers since her college days. While studying at the Philadelphia College of Art, she noticed the absence of Black photographers in history books and the limited representation of Black individuals, who were often depicted only in contexts of struggle. At a recent ArtsThursday event at the Hutchins Center, she recalled how Anne Tucker, a curator and professor, encouraged her to pursue this interest.<\/p>\n
Willis, a University Professor at NYU, sought to address this gap with her 2000 book “Reflections in Black,” which highlights African American life through photography from 1840 to the 20th century. Speaking before a Harvard audience 25 years later, she reflected on the book’s anniversary edition and her personal journey and the broader history of Black photography in America. Her talk emphasized the challenges of collecting and preserving photographs, many of which were previously undiscovered or forgotten.<\/p>\n
She shared a personal story about a photograph from Duke Ellington’s funeral that featured a young Willis, a moment she had no record of due to losing her camera. Willis also presented images from her childhood in North Philadelphia, where she spent time in her mother’s beauty shop, a community hub. Her father, a WW II veteran, pursued various trades to support the family. Willis showed early photos she took, including one of her doll, Susie, and another of people in an apartment building, highlighting her longstanding interest in capturing community life.<\/p>\n
Willis’ collection often features themes of love, family, and home, aiming to represent African American visual history. She recounted the difficulty of finding certain photographs, such as those by Thomas Askew, which were eventually discovered at the Library of Congress. In another case, Richard Roberts’ daughter preserved his work in their home’s crawl space. Willis showcased images offering different perspectives on African American life, like girls enjoying ice cream, challenging typical narratives of the 1960s.<\/p>\n
After her presentation, Sarah Lewis praised Willis for her collaborative contributions to the field, noting the impact on her own teaching. Willis continues her work, recently discovering new photos of aviator Bessie Coleman from the Hooks Brothers studio in Memphis. She believes many more images remain hidden in family collections, waiting to be uncovered.<\/p>\n