The Boss

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

When she came in the studio, while I was getting my camera ready, I looked up, and I said, ‘That woman can boss anybody.’ . . . And there she is. P. H. Polk served for 50 years as the official photographer for Tuskegee University (formerly the Tuskegee Institute). In this role, he made portraits of prominent African Americans and recorded the service of Tuskegee school associates, including many images of George Washington Carver. Importantly, he also produced powerful images of everyday African Americans. The woman featured here was on the Tuskegee campus for a farmer’s convention when Polk invited her to his studio. In the resulting photographs, Polk beautifully captures her commanding presence. Despite her worn garb, the woman conveys power, control, and confidence. Silver gelatin photograh featuring an image of a woman wearing headscarf with her hands placed on her hips.

Catalog date

1932

Recorded places

Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America

Recorded subjects

African American; Agriculture; American South; Photography; Women

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