From the 1930s through the 1970s, Charles "Teenie" Harris (1908-1998) traversed the alleyways, workplaces, and nightclubs of his native city, camera in hand, to capture the essence of community life for the Pittsburgh Courier. Backstage with Dizzy Gillespie, in the dugout with Jackie Robinson, or on the streets with children of the Hill district, Harris documented every aspect of African-American daily life during and after the Civil Rights movement. Although nicknamed "One Shot" for his habit of snapping just a single frame at any given event, Harris's output-privately held until recently-totals more than 80,000 images.
Published here in book form for the first time, a select 135 duotones from this astonishing archive offer an in-depth look at the black urban experience in mid-20th century America. Accompanying the illustrations is an energetic essay by cultural critic Stanley Crouch, who ties together issues such as baseball, jazz, and black history. Deborah Willis provides a biographical outline of the rediscovered artist, now poised on the threshold of prominence in modern American photography.
