Clough-Hanson Gallery at Rhodes

On Wednesday September 24, I decided it was time to see the fist exhibit this semester for the Clough-Hanson Gallery. I had seen flyers around campus for the Memphis World exhibit, so I knew that there would be old photos taken from the Memphis World newspaper. What I did not expect was the flood of emotion that came from seeing these photographs. MEDGAR EVERS’ GRIEVING FAMILY that appeared in Memphis World on June 22, 1963 was the most moving photo for me. The photograph shows Evers’ wife, two children, and brother seated at the funeral. The raw emotion on their faces nearly had me in tears as well. That such a good man was killed and his family made to suffer in grief tore me up. That photograph really is worth a thousand words. Another favorite of mine, SEQUIN CLUB MEMBERS BRILLIANT FORMAL WITH FRENCH THEME, taken by Hooks Brothers Photography, showcases young women dressed for a dance. The dresses and smiles the women wear really caught my eye. The fact that all of the people in the photos are real people who led real lives at that time really resonates. The photograph topics vary a lot, so you get an entire cross-section of African American life from 1931 through 1973. In total, the Clough-Hanson Gallery showcases nineteen photographs while the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art hosts the remaining two hundred and three. I highly recommend that everyone go to this exhibition and get a taste of our city’s history. I think you will all find it more than worth your time.

- Leah Bachmeyer