By Neil H. Simon
Media General News Service
Media General News Service
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WASHINGTON-From dances to demonstrations, street riots to sports fields, a photographic history of Washington's black community is on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
The framed black-and-white images are the work of Addison N. Scurlock and his sons, George and Robert. For the better part of the 20th century, their studio was a Washington fixture and a thriving African-American business, despite legalized segregation. (See video at right.)
Addison Scurlock, born in 1883 in Fayetteville, N.C., moved to Washington in 1900. Ten years later, after apprenticing under noted white photographer Moses P. Rice, Scurlock became the official photographer of Howard University.
The Smithsonian exhibit includes his earliest portraits, which defined "the Scurlock look," one that captured the dignity of the black community.
"You lose yourself in these photos," said Paul Gardullo, curator of the exhibit and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is to be built on the National Mall by 2015.
The exhibit opened the week after Barack Obama took the oath of office as the country's first African-American president. The display -- "The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise" -- runs through November 15.
To some Washingtonians, it's a chance to see their hometown history brought to life.
"These are things we grew up with -- images that we've seen at home. ... It's almost like family," said Lujuan Brown-Clark, who recently toured the exhibit.
After George Scurlock died in 2005, the family's estate sought a national home for its nearly 100-year collection of artwork and artifacts. A two-year acquisition process ensued with curators at the Smithsonian.
"I knew right away that this collection would be something special," said Michelle Delaney, associate curator of photography for the Smithsonian. "...I also knew that this was a collection that had never gained the national notoriety that it should compared to some of the New York City photographers."
The Smithsonian ended up with 250,000 Scurlock negatives, 10,000 prints and 100 pieces of equipment, office signs and other studio artifacts. More than 100 photos are included in the gallery display.
The artifact highlights include seats from Howard University's old Griffith Stadium and the fur coat worn by Marian Anderson when she sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday in 1939. That year, Anderson had been barred by the Daughters of the American Revolution from singing to an integrated audience inside Constitution Hall.
The Anderson photo by Robert Scurlock has had particular resonance lately, Gardullo said, after a celebrity concert at the Lincoln Memorial kicked off inaugural activities for the new president last month. At least a third of visitors have left written comments that the images have added meaning with Obama as president.
"It's something that's old history, but really it's our history and it's current, especially given the new president," said visitor Brown-Clark.
(Contact Neil H. Simon at nsimon@mediageneral.com)
Plan your visit
The Exhibit: "The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise"
Runs through: Nov. 15
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
Location: The National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.
Admission: Free
The framed black-and-white images are the work of Addison N. Scurlock and his sons, George and Robert. For the better part of the 20th century, their studio was a Washington fixture and a thriving African-American business, despite legalized segregation. (See video at right.)
Addison Scurlock, born in 1883 in Fayetteville, N.C., moved to Washington in 1900. Ten years later, after apprenticing under noted white photographer Moses P. Rice, Scurlock became the official photographer of Howard University.
The Smithsonian exhibit includes his earliest portraits, which defined "the Scurlock look," one that captured the dignity of the black community.
"You lose yourself in these photos," said Paul Gardullo, curator of the exhibit and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is to be built on the National Mall by 2015.
The exhibit opened the week after Barack Obama took the oath of office as the country's first African-American president. The display -- "The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise" -- runs through November 15.
To some Washingtonians, it's a chance to see their hometown history brought to life.
"These are things we grew up with -- images that we've seen at home. ... It's almost like family," said Lujuan Brown-Clark, who recently toured the exhibit.
After George Scurlock died in 2005, the family's estate sought a national home for its nearly 100-year collection of artwork and artifacts. A two-year acquisition process ensued with curators at the Smithsonian.
"I knew right away that this collection would be something special," said Michelle Delaney, associate curator of photography for the Smithsonian. "...I also knew that this was a collection that had never gained the national notoriety that it should compared to some of the New York City photographers."
The Smithsonian ended up with 250,000 Scurlock negatives, 10,000 prints and 100 pieces of equipment, office signs and other studio artifacts. More than 100 photos are included in the gallery display.
The artifact highlights include seats from Howard University's old Griffith Stadium and the fur coat worn by Marian Anderson when she sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday in 1939. That year, Anderson had been barred by the Daughters of the American Revolution from singing to an integrated audience inside Constitution Hall.
The Anderson photo by Robert Scurlock has had particular resonance lately, Gardullo said, after a celebrity concert at the Lincoln Memorial kicked off inaugural activities for the new president last month. At least a third of visitors have left written comments that the images have added meaning with Obama as president.
"It's something that's old history, but really it's our history and it's current, especially given the new president," said visitor Brown-Clark.
(Contact Neil H. Simon at nsimon@mediageneral.com)
Plan your visit
The Exhibit: "The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise"
Runs through: Nov. 15
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
Location: The National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.
Admission: Free