Picturing the Promise

Picturing the Promise: The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington

Addison Scurlock and his sons, Robert and George, documented Washington, D.C.'s African American community in photographs for 90 years, capturing special events, and creating portraits of leaders, luminaries, newsmakers, and everyday folks that have become iconic images of black life in the nation's capital.

The photographs illuminate the rich social, cultural, educational, and economic life that was at the heart of black Washington even during a time of rigid segregation. After integration, they depict the complexities and repercussions facing these same communities through the 1960s and '70s. The images offer proof of Washington, D.C.'s vital African American community and its pivitol role in the struggle for racial equality in America.  Hardcover; PP: 224; Index: Y; 130 Duotone photos throughout

Museum Provenance

A companion book to the exhibit at NMAH and one of the first major book publications of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Every Smithsonian purchase will arrive with a museum provenance card explaining how it is adapted from or inspired by an object or objects in our collection.