• My Account
    • View Order
    • Change Password
    • Edit My Address
    • Log Out
  • 0Shopping Cart
Light Work
  • Info
    • Contact / Location
    • Staff
    • History
    • Chronology
    • Grants
      • Grants Program
      • How to Apply
    • Opportunities
    • Light Work Library
    • Partners & Sponsors
    • Blog
  • Residencies
    • AIR Program
    • Artist Index
    • How to Apply
  • Exhibitions
    • Current & Past
    • Upcoming
  • Contact Sheet 
    • Subscribe
    • Back Issues
  • Collection
  • Lab
    • Light Work Lab
    • Membership
    • Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
    • Services
    • Education
    • Reservations
  • UVP
    • UVP Exhibitions
    • UVP Events
    • UVP Commission
  • Shop
    • Fine Print Program
    • Signed Books
    • Contact Sheet
    • Donate
    • Become a Benefactor
    • Returns & Payment Info
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Subscription Program

Light Work offers basic subscriptions to Contact Sheet as well as book and print level subscriptions, in which you can select a book or print to receive along with the publication. Please make your selection based on your preferred subscription level. Your subscription directly supports Light Work’s programs, including our residencies, exhibitions, publications, and more. Thank you!

Contact Sheet 140:
William Earle Williams

$12

Contact Sheet 140: William Earle Williams
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Light Work (January 16, 2007)
ISBN: 0-935445-50-1

In stock

Categories: Back Issues, Contact Sheet
  • Description

Description

This catalogue features the stunning photographs of William Earle Williams. Until the release of the motion picture Glory in 1989, it was not well known that more than 180,000 black soldiers served in the Civil War. Williams’s images call attention to the sites made special through these soldiers’ contributions, so that their story becomes a part of our American story. The photographer has been pursuing this series for over ten years. He has photographed significant Civil War sites in the South and North, recording both historically recognizable as well as forgotten locations.

According to Williams, “Too often the historical and artistic legacy of black accomplishment is ignored. As an artist the memory of these soldiers has inspired my artistic imagination. The ground they fought on is sacred and an inspiration for all Americans. These sites dispel the myth that blacks were given their citizenship and rights after the Civil War without having fought for and earned them.” He photographs sites where black soldiers trained, fought, or lost their lives. These locations, along with images significant to the Underground Railroad, have often been overlooked and are rarely photographed. Williams’s photographs are rich in history, and he has spent a great deal of time researching the locations depicted in each image. The sites are often forgotten and unmarked–the viewer would not immediately realize the historic importance of these places without Williams’s research.

The catalogue includes an introduction by Laura A. Guth and an essay by Richard Reid.

—

Williams received his BA in History at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY and his MFA in Fine Arts at Yale University School of Art in New Haven, CT. He has been a professor of fine arts at Haverford College in Pennsylvania since 1978, and a curator of photography since 1979. Williams participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program in the summer of 2003.

Richard Reid is a professor of history at the University of Guelph and the director of the Tri-University graduate program in History. He has published extensively in both Canadian and American history and his latest book, Freedom for Themselves: North Carolina’s Black Soldiers in the Civil War, published by the University of North Carolina Press, is due out in the fall of 2007.

Related products

  • Contact Sheet 117:
    Light Work Annual 2002

    $27
  • Contact Sheet 167:
    Light Work Annual 2012

    $27
  • Contact Sheet 168:
    Susan Worsham

    $12
  • Contact Sheet 165:
    Jen Davis & Amy Elkins

    $12

Light Work was founded as an artist-run non-profit organization in 1973.

Our mission is to provide direct support to artists working in photography and related media, through residencies, publications, and a community-access lab facility.

Read more →

Light Work Lab offers members a the highest quality printing and scanning equipment, black-and-white darkroom, a lighting studio, and a lounge and library where artists from all over the world converge.

Become a member today →

Connect with Light Work

Instagram →
Facebook →
Twitter →
Vimeo →
Newsletter →

Copyright ©1973-2020 - Light Work — 316 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244
  • Mail
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Vimeo
  • Rss
Contact Sheet 139:
Rik Pinkcombe
Contact Sheet 141:
Ben Gest
Scroll to top
X
Due to COVID-19, Light Work remains closed to the public.

We continue to closely monitor the situation with the safety of our staff and community as our top priority.




We encourage you to enjoy exploring our exhibitions, collection, and online education offerings during this time.

Please sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram to stay in touch!