Shot in Alabama Gallery Tour and Lecture at the Central Library, January 7

Photographer Hanson Alston outside the Darkroom, Birmingham, late 1920s
A.C. Kelly Jr.

If you like looking at historic photographs, make plans to make your way to the Birmingham Public Library (BPL)’s Central branch to view the Shot in Alabama: Historical Birmingham Photographs exhibit. The exhibit is open to the public through February 4, 2018, in the First Floor Gallery.

The photo display features nearly 30 pictures from the book Shot in Alabama: A History of Photography, 1839-1941, and a List of Photographers by author Frances Osborn Robb, released by the University of Alabama Press in 2016. Shot in Alabama is Robb's visual and textual narrative of Alabama's photographic history from 1839 to 1941.

On Sunday, January 7, Robb will give a gallery tour of the exhibit at 2:30 p.m., followed by a lecture at 3:00 p.m. in the Fiction Department.

About the exhibit:

Tango Dancers Charlotte and Frank Jones
Russell Brothers, Anniston

Shot in Alabama highlights the Birmingham photographs in Robb's book, many of which come from BPL’s Archives Department. Students from the Altamont School in Birmingham designed the exhibit and wrote the content for the 30 photograph labels.

Presented chronologically, Robb depicts Civil War photography, portraits of the end of the 19th century, the Great Depression, pre-World War II illustrated photography, and more. Robb also chronicles the work of hundreds of photographers—black and white, amateur and professional, women and men. The Shot in Alabama book also has an appendix listing 1,400 photographers by name, working dates, and location.

A Birmingham native, Robb has spent 25 years researching Alabama photography while serving as a consultant on the state's cultural history and historic photography for museums, archives, and libraries.

Shot in Alabama is available for $60 in the BPL Friends Bookstore, located on the first floor of the Central Library. Proceeds from sales benefit BPL.