In this fascinating and important collection of previously unseen or underappreciated photographs, a team of art historians and archivists have created the definitive photographic account of the Civil Rights Movement. Picturing Black History: Photographs and Stories That Changed the World features an expansive array of photography, from slice-of-life snapshots to photojournalism to portraits. Together, the multifaceted truth of Black American history—extending beyond the Civil Rights Movement to cover what came before as well as some of its outcomes—comes into focus. The product of an ongoing collaborative effort between Getty Images and Ohio State University’s online magazine Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, it presents the argument that there is a symbiotic relationship between photography and Black history, because photography introduced a previously unavailable type of self-representation. The book’s photo-essays, like Alex Lichtenstein’s examination of the photographs Ben Shahn captured of Arkansas sharecroppers in 1935, contextualize the history with rich but accessible pocket narratives: “The relaxed and open pose of this family stands in notable contrast to the display of rural hardship and desperation one finds in many portraits of Southern Black life in the Depression era,” Lichtenstein writes. That kind of thoughtfully informed analysis refutes many misconceptions about Black history in America with a more layered vision. The stories told through the photographs of Picturing Black History run the gamut from joy and sorrow to ennui and perseverance, making this volume a necessary addition for library and personal bookshelves alike.
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