Passage II

A Photographer Discovered

In the early twentieth century, as cameras became easier to use and more affordable, amateur photographers began capturing scenes and subjects that had previously been neglected. One of these photographers, Earl McWilliams, was active in Lincoln, Nebraska, between 1910 and 1920. Recently, about 300 of his negatives were discovered. Art critics and historians consider them significant for several reasons.

First, since they came from the past, McWilliams's photographs in a small town provide a rare and valuable record of the daily life of African Americans in the early 1900s. Although photographs of African American life in major cities like Chicago and New York are not uncommon, few records of life in towns like Lincoln have survived.

McWilliams's photographs also demonstrate a fine sense of composition—an ability to arrange the subject of the photograph within the surrounding objects. In one portrait, a thoughtful-looking woman stands on a large porch. The porch's railings and columns frame her on one side, and the house does so on the other. These framing lines give the photograph a sense of balance.

Furthermore, the uncluttered background directs the viewer's eye to the woman herself as she looks off into the distance as if one is waiting for someone. (22)

It is suggested that McWilliams's photographs were also gifted with the ability to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera. One picture shows a little boy standing on a platform. On either side of him is a dog that the boy holds the dogs' collars in his hands. He smiles at the camera, and one has to wonder what made him happy. One art critic commented that it appears as if boy and dogs alike found it completely natural to stop and pose for McWilliams.

Little is known of Earl McWilliams accept that he worked as an elevator operator at a department store and later as a photofinisher. Fortunately, he spends his spare time among Lincoln's residents, and he may soon gain national acclaim.