O, Write My Name
Photography exhibit displays heroes of Harlem



Rafael Macias of The Current

Observers view photographs in for the "O, Write My Name" exhibit at the Public Policy Research Centers in the Social Sciences Building.

by Anne Porter
staff editor

Not all photographs are created equal. Different processes accentuate darker tones and highlight other characteristics of an individual picture.

"'O, Write My Name': American Portraits Harlem Heroes," an exhibit of public figures and everyday citizens who contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, is at the Public Policy Research Centers in SSB at UM-St. Louis.

Richard Benson, dean of the School of Art at Yale University, earned the MacArthur photography award about five years ago for advancing the technique of printing photographs with ink.

When Benson was developing "O, Write My Name" prior to 1983, he used the process of hand gravure. Gravure, a form of ink printing, involves the process of etching copper plates from the original negatives, and then printing the plates on an etching press.

The "O, Write My Name" collection includes 25 pictures of men and 25 pictures of women. From this collection, 100 numbered sets have been created.

Leslie George Katz wrote a brief tribute and biography about each person, which is located directly below the photo. Katz began the Eakins Press Foundation in 1965.

Peter Kayafas, director of the Eakins Press Foundation, oversees the publication and touring of the "O, Write My Name" exhibit.

"We made an attempt, Leslie Katz in particular in his early stages of editing, to represent the spirit of the people of that time in Harlem," Kayafas said.

The portfolio, first published in 1983, has since traveled the United States many times.

"'O, Write My Name," includes many famous poets, musicians, authors, and even everyday people such a pastry chef.

The photographs of well-known figures--James Baldwin, Countee Cullen,W.E.B. DuBois, Lena Horne, Langston Hughes--add insight to the work and accomplishments they achieved, Kayafas said

"We were trying to create something that had a cohesiveness visually, and gravure allowed us to do that. It also renders the darker tones more beautifully than any other medium of replication," Kayafas said.

"Benson is renowned for the best photographic printing in the world," Kayafas said.

By using this process on portraits of prominent and everyday African American people who lived during the Harlem Renaissance, Benson created a very respectful and memorable collection to celebrate Afro-American culture, Kayafas said.

Carl Van Vechten, the photographer of the portfolio, was close friends with many of the subjects and even shot many of their portraits in his own apartment.

Through this connection he was able to depict the private angle to their lives.

"I think there is a definite apparent relationship between the photographer and the sitter in a way that a normal press photograph would not have provided," Kayafas said.

Jean Tucker, a photographic historian in the Public Policy Research Centers, selects an exhibit every February in honor of Black History Month.

Tucker chose this exhibit because it covers a expansive spectrum of black history.

"Each person is important to the development of black history, and everyone doesn't know something about all 50 people. It's a very good educational exhibition that everyone can learn from as well as enjoy the beauty of the photographs," Tucker said.

Tucker said she especially appreciates the quality of the gravure photo finish.

"Gravure is one of the most beautiful of all photographic processes. There is a kind of softness and artistry," Tucker said.

"O, Write My Name" will be on exhibit through Mar. 31. For more information call the Public Policy Research Centers at (314) 516-5273.