Welcome to an epicenter of everyday Black beauty.

Always Been is an archival and curatorial project focused on the humanity, dignity, and joy of Black life as seen through the magic of found photographs.

Explore the Collection Learn More

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Collection

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Engagement

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Exhibition

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Acquisition

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Past, Present, & Future

What we've done and where we're heading.

Collection & Discovery

Engagement

Exhibition

Acquisition

Snapshot photography of Black life is a historically underrepresented content category in museums and institutions. The final goal of Always Been is to pair the collection with an institution committed to presenting representations of everyday Black life

Common Questions

Do you have questions about Always Been? Below you will find common questions about the project. If you still have questions, contact us.

What is Always Been?

Always Been is an archival and curatorial project focused on highlighting the humanity, dignity, and joy of Black life through the lens of snapshot photography. The core of Always Been is an ever-growing collection of 19th and 20th-century vernacular photography.

Where do images in the collection come from?

Images in the Always Been collection are primarily sourced from online auction and resale sites such as eBay and Etsy. Often, images are listed on those sites from sellers who have found them at estate sales, in thrift stores, thrown away, etc. Additionally, many collectors of snapshot photographs are also sellers and will liquidate items from their collection.

How do I access the collection?

Images in the collection are accessible via the new digital archive. You may access the digital archive by visiting archive.alwaysbeen.org. Please note, the collection is still in the process of digitization and only a small portion is currently published to the archive.

May I use images from the Always Been Collection in my own work?

Reproduction requests from the collection are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Given the sensitive, personal nature of the images it is important to approach the materials in the collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives and image are documented within them.

Reproduction requests may be directed to reproductions (at) alwaysbeen.org.

Where can I download images from the collection?

Images in the collection are not available for direct download. Research, commercial, and personal study reproduction requests should be directed to reproductions (at) alwaysbeen.org.

How is Always Been funded?

Always Been is primarily funded through generous support from institutions and grants. Please see the support section of the site for a list of the organizations responsible for supporting the project.

Who is responsible for managing Always Been?

The project was conceptualized and is managed by Parker Thompson. Parker is an undergraduate history student at Brandeis University. He may be contacted at parker (at) alwaysbeen.org.

Still have questions?

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Contact

Reading Recommendations

While historically understudied, there is a growing movement by scholars, researchers, and artists to more fully examine the cultural, racial, and historical implications of Black photography. Below are the Always Been essential reading recommendations.

Pictures With Purpose

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Apart of the NMAAHC Double Exposure series, this brief publication offers key considerations on the implications of photography in 19th and 20th-century Black life. Additionally, the publication presents a rich selection from the museum's collection.

Picturing Us: African American Identity in Photography

Deborah Willis

This seminal collection of essays edited by Deborah Willis is the starting point for conversations about Black vernacular photography. It contains bell hooks foundational text "In Our Glory: Photography and Black Life."

Photography: Race, Rights and Representation

Mark Sealy

In this publication, Sealy engages "with notions of history, alienation, migration, civil and human rights, community and representational politics." See also his previous publication, "Decolonising the Camera: Photography in Racial Time."

Making a promised land

Paula J. Massood

Here Paula Massood explores the interconnected histories of African American representation, urban life, and citizenship as documented in still and moving images of Harlem over the last century. She analyzes how photography and film have been used over time to make African American culture visible to itself and to a wider audience.

The Civil Contract of Photography

Ariella Azoulay

While not specifically centered on Black cultural groups, Azoulay's focus on Palestinian's residing in Israel and women in Western societies offers compelling parallel thoughts on the ethical powers and relations that exist in photography. The publication was featured in Deana Lawson's 2022 ICA exhibiton.

Image Matters

Tina M. Campt

Campt traces the emergence of a black European subject by examining how specific black European communities used family photography to create forms of identification and community. She shows how the photographs of Black European families conveyed profound aspirations to forms of national and cultural belonging.

Exposing Slavery

Matthew Fox-Amato

In "Exposing Slavery," Fox-Amato examines how photography altered and was, in turn, shaped by conflicts over human bondage. Drawing on an original source base of unpublished and little-studied photographs as well as written archival materials, it puts visual culture at the center of understanding the experience of late slavery.

Visualizing equality

Aston Gonzalez

In this book, Aston Gonzalez charts the changing roles of African American visual artists as they helped build the world they envisioned. Gonzalez focuses on the energy and opportunities that African American activists seized to produce images that advanced campaigns for black rights.

Pictures and Progress

Maurice O. Wallace, et al.

Pictures and Progress explores how, during the nineteenth century and the early twentieth, prominent African American intellectuals and activists understood photography's power to shape perceptions about race and employed the new medium in their quest for social and political justice.

Made possible with the generous support of community.

This project is made possible with generous support from the following institutions and programs:

Fori and Robert Kay Creative Collaborations
Maurice J. and Fay B. Karpf and Ari Hahn Peace Awards
Provost's Research Fellowship, Brandeis University
The Tauber Institute Social Justice Initiative