African-American Art Gallery May 23, 2010

This second installation in our African-American art gallery explores various aspects of Prentice Herman (P.H.) Polk's work. Polk (1898-1984), a Bessemer native, became one of the most important photographers of the 20th century through his role as the official photographer of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) from 1939-1984. Polk became the leading chronicler of campus life, capturing scenes of social, historical, and artistic signifcance and recording for posterity images of George Washington Carver, the Tuskegee Airmen, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joe Louis, Paul Robeson, and many other prominent individuals.