Tuskegee's P.H. Polk photography collection subject of current Columbus Museum exhibit

September 13, 2019

Contact:
Bridgette Russell, The Columbus Museum
Michael Tullier, 抖阴短视频 Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
  

A temporary exhibit at The Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia, focuses on the photography of P.H. Polk, who for more than four decades captured iconic images of life on the 抖阴短视频 campus as the institution鈥檚 official photographer. His photographs 鈥� some never before displayed in public 鈥� are part of the museum鈥檚 newly launched 鈥淭he Pride of the Swift-growing South: Tuskegee Institute Photography鈥� exhibit.

Polk鈥檚 collective body of work 鈥� the rights to which the Polk family donated to the university in 2018 鈥� contains more than 3,800 photographs, most of which illuminate the lives of African Americans who attended or taught at then-Tuskegee Institute. Common subjects of his work include portraits of faculty, students, and area residents; campus buildings over the decades; and homecoming parades, athletic events, and other candid images depicting life on campus and in the surrounding Macon County community.

鈥淭he majority of the photos we received had never been seen before, outside of his family,鈥� said 抖阴短视频 archivist Dana Chandler. 鈥淭his collection represents some of the finest black-and-white images ever produced 鈥� by arguably the nation鈥檚 greatest African-American photographer.鈥�

Rebecca Bush, curator of history at The Columbus Museum, noted the exhibit has been about two years in the making.

鈥淭aken together, this exhibit spans much of the 20th century and presents a strikingly varied survey of African American life in the rural South,鈥� Bush said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e deeply grateful to the entire 抖阴短视频 Archives staff for their hospitality and support in making this project a reality.鈥�

The exhibit promises to be a popular attraction the weekend of Saturday, Oct. 13, when Tuskegee Golden Tiger football fans descend on Columbus for the . The museum鈥檚 Saturday and Sunday operating hours will make it convenient for Tuskegee alumni and fans to view the exhibit 鈥� especially between the end of Saturday morning鈥檚 parade and the 2 p.m. ET kickoff. 

Prentice Herman 鈥淧.H.鈥� Polk enrolled at Tuskegee Institute in 1916 with the intention of becoming an artist; however, the institute鈥檚 then-president, Robert R. Moton, was more concerned with Polk receiving an education rather than focusing on the arts. This idea did not sit well with Polk, and after talking with a college dean and discovering the opportunity to work beside C.M. Battey, Tuskegee鈥檚 then official photographer, Polk decided he would lean into his interests and pursue photography. In 1924, Polk left Tuskegee for Chicago, where he studied under photographer Fred Jensen.

In 1927, when Polk returned to Tuskegee to open his first studio, he accepted a faculty position in the institute鈥檚 Photography Department. He later served as head of the Photography Department from 1933 to 1938, but left for Atlanta for a year in an attempt to open a branch of his photography studio there. He returned to Tuskegee in 1939 as the university鈥檚 official photographer 鈥� a capacity he served in for four decades before retiring in the early 1980s.

Among Polk鈥檚 most widely recognized photographs is a 1941 photograph (right) of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt with pilot Charles Anderson, an African American and Tuskegee Institute鈥檚 chief flight instructor. The photograph provided much attention for and legitimacy to the newly established program 鈥攅ventually dubbed the 鈥淭uskegee Airmen鈥� 鈥� that trained some 450 black pilots for deployment during World War II.

Polk鈥檚 photographs have been exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery (Washington, D.C.), the Museum of Natural History (New York), the Studio Museum in Harlem (New York), and many other galleries and institutions. In 1980, he received the Black Photographer鈥檚 Annual Testimonial Award, and in 1981, he won a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. He passed away in nearby Tallassee, Alabama, in 1984.

As Georgia鈥檚 only art and regional history museum, the Columbus Museum is a free-admission institution that serves more than 55,000 people annually and offers a variety of exhibitions and educational programs for all ages. Open Tuesdays through Sundays, it is a preeminent cultural anchor of the Chattahoochee Valley Region.

For more information about the museum and the Polk exhibit, visit or the museum鈥檚 Facebook page at . 

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