William Earle Williams
Jamestown Island

Jamestown Island

© William Earle Williams

Jamestown Island
Jamestown Island
ArtistAmerican, born 1950
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Jamestown Island
  • from the series Unsung Heroes: African American Soldiers in the Civil War
Date1996
PlaceVirginia, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 7 5/8 × 7 9/16 in. (19.4 × 19.2 cm)
Sheet: 9 15/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25.2 × 20.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Photo Forum 2008
Object number2008.934
Non exposé

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Department
Photography
Object Type
Description


As William Earle Williams explored the landscape of the Civil War, he observed a deficiency of historical markers—plaques, statues, monuments—commemorating the roles of African Americans. By photographing sites where Black soldiers were prominently involved, Williams counters historical narra­tives that sideline or omit the experiences of the more than 180,000 African Americans who participated in the conflict. Jamestown is one of the first sites where ships carrying enslaved Africans landed in the American colonies, and during the war, it housed a Confederate fort built by enslaved people. Williams’s photographs emphasize the important role landscapes play in shaping and reshaping collective memory and shifting historical narratives.



ProvenanceThe artist, Haverford, Pennsylvania; purchased by MFAH, 2008.
Exhibition HistoryExhibited: "Photo Forum 2008," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Lower Brown Corridor, September 24, 2008 - January 12, 2009.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Marked in pencil, verso lower left: "Jamestown / Island 1996"

Marked in pencil, verso lower lower edge: "Jamestown VA 1996 BGF 33f11 12 BTB 3 TPF82507 (?)"
Signed in pencil, verso lower center: "William Earle Williams"
Stamped, recto of sheet below image: "PHOTOGRAPH / BY / WILLIAM EARLE WILLIAMS / COPYRIGHT ©"

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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