INTRODUCTION TO THE TEENIE HARRIS ARCHIVES FT. THE PITTSBURGH COURIER BUILDING

I've been spending some time poring through the Teenie Harris photograph archives at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. If you haven't heard of Charles "Teenie" Harris, he was a prolific photographer of Pittsburgh's African American communities between the 1930s and the 1970s.

Charles "Teenie" Harris, holding camera and standing on sidewalk, circa 1938. Carnegie Museum of Art

Harris' vast archives, currently housed at the Carnegie Museum, offer up "one of the most detailed and intimate records of the Black urban experience known today." Following the archive's purchase in 2001, the Museum has scanned more than 60,000 images, and a good chunk of these have been catalogued and are available to look at online.

If you want a short primer, you can listen to the NPR story below, which discusses Harris' work and his photographic legacy.

The majority of Harris' professional career was spent working as a photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier, and the newspaper's offices feature prominently in many of Harris' images. I've included a few choice images below, which provide a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day running and everyday comings and goings of a mid-century Black newspaper plant. Treat yourself and have a look through the Harris collections yourself via the Carnegie Museum's online catalogue.

Toki Schalk Johnson posing on desk in Pittsburgh Courier office, c.1940-1950. Carnegie Museum of Art

Joe Louis practicing golf putting in Pittsburgh Courier office, January 1946. Carnegie Museum of Art

Photographer Gordon Parks in Pittsburgh Courier printing plant, September 1946. Carnegie Museum of Art