Mycological drawing by George Washington Carver
Scope and Content Note
The Prentice Herman Polk Photograph Collection consists of over sixty (60) photographs taken mostly in the 1930s and 1940s. Three of the photographs are of P. H. Polk at an exhibit of his photographs. The remaining photographs are the work of Prentice Herman Polk and are representative of the different types of photographs he took. Twenty-seven (27) of the photographs are of George Washington Carver. George Washington Carver was a favorite subject of P.H. Polk, and photographs of Dr. Carver constitute a substantial and distinguished body of his work. In addition to George Washington Carver, Polk photographed numerous famous individuals who visited Tuskegee. Included in the collection are photographs of Henry Ford, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, W. C. Handy, Lena Horne, and Pearl Buck. Also in the collection are examples of his photographs of faculty, students, and events at Tuskegee Institute which he took as the school's official photographer.
His primary body of work in terms of volume is the commercial studio portraiture. In addition to these commercial portraits, Polk's studio work includes uncommissioned portraits in which Polk paid local Alabama people to sit for him. Examples of these within the collection include the portraits of Henry Baker, George Moore, and the unidentified woman whose photograph is titled "The Boss". The collection also contains examples of the on-site photographs of working class blacks in the rural South that were done on assignment from a labor organization in the 1930s. The uncomissioned portraits and the photographs of life in rural Alabama are considered some of his most important works.
In addition to the photographs the collection contains a videotape of a television program which highlights the life and work of P. H. Polk. The program contains numerous segments in which P. H. Polk is interviewed.
Dates
- 1930-1940?
Restrictions on Use
There are no restrictions on research use of this collection.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.0 videocassettes
Language
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History Repository