Battey, Cornelius Marion “C.M.”
1873-1927 · Contribution: 1900-1927
Portrait photographer; educator
Produced the definitive early-20th-century studio portraits of Black leaders including the now-iconic 1918 image of W.E.B. Du Bois, then founded and headed the photography department at Tuskegee Institute from 1916 until his death
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1873, Augusta, Georgia
- Active since
- 1900
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- Definitive early-20th-century portraits of Black leaders; founding Tuskegee's photography department
Impact on the world
Battey gave the leaders of Black America their enduring visual image in the pictorialist style, then institutionalized photographic training at Tuskegee, seeding the field with Black practitioners.
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
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