Photography on the Color Line

“[T]his book is an original reflection on the importance of visuality in the theorizing of Du Bois and highlights the diverse and complex ways in which he problematized ‘race’ and racialization.” - Charles Gore, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

“Through a careful analysis of Du Bois’s use of photographs, Smith has demonstrated the degree to which Du Bois’s construction of the archive places him squarely within it and determines our ability to change the way we see and are seen.” - Carla Williams , Visual Resources

"[A]n important contribution to the critical analyses, discussions, and methodologies dedicated to both visual culture and archival research." - David A. Gerstner, Scope

"Beyond theoretical and historical inspiration, readers . . . will find an extensive collection of images, highlighted by twenty-four plates that beautifully reproduce black-and-white photographs from the American Negro Exhibit. . . . [A] major contribution to understanding the formative role of the culture of lynching in the construction of white identity." - Ira Dworkin , American Literature

"In an era of massive visual media attention, through which our realities are manipulated and often perceptually transformed . . . the relevance of Smith's analysis and interpretation of racialization via photography in the 19th and early 20th centuries is absolute. . . . [B]rilliant. . . . Highly recommended." - C. Chiarenza , Choice

"Smith's readings of DuBois's texts and the Georgia Albums draw on her synthesis of a large and diverse trove of scholarly literature. The interesting discussions and rich reference material in the endnotes should be read carefully. . . . This is a book that will generate wide discussion, given the growing interest of scholars from many disciplines in understanding more fully the connections between visual culture and race." - Julie K. Brown , Technology and Culture

“Photography on the Color Line should be widely read and widely taught. In this outstanding book, Shawn Michelle Smith has offered not only a spirited reading of a historically important group of photographs but also a methodology and theoretical grounding that are widely applicable even beyond the specific archive of the Du Bois photographs.” - Laura Wexler, author of Tender Violence: Domestic Visions in an Age of U.S. Imperialism

“Photography on the Color Line is both a complicated and fascinating read on race, human displays at expositions, and Du Bois’s notion of double consciousness. It is groundbreaking work on the Du Boisian concept of life on the color line.” - Deborah Willis, coauthor of A Small Nation of People: W. E. B. Du Bois and African American Portraits of Progress