the middle of the venn diagram of photographs of cemeteries & black history

went to the portland museum of art to check out their exhibition of photographs by ed weston, from a collection used to illustrate an edition of whitman's 'leaves of grass.' predictably, i was particularly taken by weston's photographs of cemeteries in the south..

girod cemetery, new orleans, 1941

st. roch cemetery, new orleans, 1941

weston also paid a visit to william edmondson, a stone carver in nashville.


in 1937, edmondson was the first african american to have a one-man show at MOMA. many of his sculptures were made of limestone, and many were tombstones, especially for members of the african american community in nashville. ironically, he was buried in an unmarked grave in nashville's mt. ararat cemetery.

weston images via the center for creative photography