Black and White in Black and White: Images of Dignity, Hope, and Diversity in America

The beginning of the 20th-century was a time of great promise and hope for race relations in America. This optimistic era was fueled by what was known at the time as the “New Negro Movement,” a period which set the stage for the Harlem Renaissance. No one better captured the essence of this time of advancement than African American photographer John Johnson.

Johnson primarily used his neighborhood in Lincoln, Nebraska as his canvas to craft powerful portraits of dignity and hope from 1910 to 1925. Equally as important as Johnson’s ennobling images of African Americans are his images of blacks and whites and other racial groups together, an occurrence that was almost unheard of at the time. The Smithsonian recently acquired 60 of these photographs for their collection and will display Johnson’s work in three upcoming exhibitions.

A number of the people depicted in Johnson’s photos and their extended families eventually migrated to California. There, they settled in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Riverside, Blythe and other cities, and became educators, artists and business owners.

This exhibit is also available as an online exhibit! Book the online exhibit as a stand-alone experience, or pair it with the physical exhibit when you host. Visit our online exhibits page to learn more.

Black and White in Black and White: Images of Dignity, Hope, and Diversity in America is curated by Douglas Keister and presented with support from California State University, Chico. Learn more about the collection on YouTube with the 25-minute documentary “Shadows on Glass”.