Iconic lensman 'Teenie' Harris focus of Pittsburgh Black History Month show
The man behind the camera will be in focus as the City of Pittsburgh celebrates Black History Month by showcasing the life and works of iconic photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris.
An online photo gallery and monthlong display in the City-County Building lobby, entitled “Teenie Harris: The Man Behind the Lens,” will feature more than 50 photographs, examples of Harris’ prototype cameras, books and other memorabilia from Harris’ life and work in the Pittsburgh region.
Copies of Harris’ photos were sourced from the Charles “Teenie” Harris Archive at Carnegie Museum of Art. The camera and photography pieces displayed are on loan from Bernie’s Photo Center and Photo Antiquities.
Harris, a Pittsburgh native whose four-decade career with The Pittsburgh Courier, one of the nation’s most influential Black newspapers, created “an unparalleled chronicle of Black American life, culture and history during the mid-twentieth century,” according to a release.
“We’re excited to celebrate the accomplishments of a lifelong Pittsburgher so proficient at his craft that he was referred to as ‘One Shot’ for his ability to take the perfect photo in a single exposure,” said Brian Katze, manager of the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events.
In the conversation
Organizers found it fitting that the city’s annual Black History Month display should put the spotlight on Harris, who was born in 1908 in the Hill District.
“In every program that I’ve been involved in planning, Teenie Harris was part of the conversation,” said Brandon D’Alimonte, program coordinator for the special events office. “It only seemed right to take a look at him.”
While Harris chronicled countless celebrities, athletes and civil rights leaders throughout his career, he also documented the daily life of African Americans at churches, civic events, barbershops and Little League games.
The city’s exhibition explores the disparate aspects of Harris’ life.
“We’ve split the display up into three categories,” D’Alimonte said. “There is his personal life, the self-portraits and family photos; his career with the Courier, other assignments and freelance work; and his artistry and style.
“He was a self-proclaimed, self-taught photographer. He just seemed to have a natural eye,” D’Alimonte said. “He was able to figure out how to balance skin tones at a time when that technology didn’t exist, so where did that come from?”
Charlene Foggie-Barnett, the Teenie Harris archivist at the Carnegie Museum, was able to offer first-hand knowledge about the subject as the display was organized.
“I grew up in the Hill District and I knew Teenie. He was a family friend,” she said. “I saw him once or twice a week. He photographed me from infancy to my 20s.
“It seems like he shot everyone in the city,” she added.
Conversation starter
Harris, who died in 1998, remains an iconic figure in Pittsburgh even to this day, Foggie-Barnett said.
“He had the inroads, the connections into the community,” she said. “He photographed the famous people and everyday America life. He explains the diversity of experience in 20th-century Black urban life.
“He starts the conversation about the Black experience, foreshadowing where we are now,” she added.
What makes his work especially intriguing, she said, was the knack that led to the “One Shot” moniker.
“He was able to take just one shot and make you feel like you’re there in the moment,” she said. “I think that’s why (his photos) have such a powerful influence.”
“The Man Behind the Lens” will be available for viewing from Tuesday through Feb. 28. D’Alimonte noted that the City-County Building’s main entrance on Grant Street is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Ross Street entrance remains open after hours for later visitors.
The online display will include extra content, including interviews.
The Carnegie Museum’s dedicated gallery, “In Sharp Focus: Charles ‘Teenie’ Harris,” serves as a perfect complement to the City’s exhibition, Katze said. The gallery, located in the museum’s Scaife Galleries, features iconic examples of Harris’ photographs and hosts educational programs and community events.
The museum’s Harris archive includes 80,000 images.
“We are honored to partner with the City of Pittsburgh on ‘Teenie Harris: The Man Behind the Lens’ during Black History Month this year, especially as Mayor Gainey, Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor, begins his new term,” Foggie-Barnett said.
For more information on the City of Pittsburgh Black History Month celebration, call the Office of Special Events at 412-255-2493 or visit pittsburghpa.gov/events.
For more information on the Carnegie Museum’s Teenie Harris Archive and dedicated gallery, visit cmoa.org.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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