“Framing Shadows/Framing Lives: A Rosemary Magee Creativity Conversation”

A 1911 drawing for a proposed Black Mammy Memorial Institute in Athens, GA displayed at Emory's "Framing Shadows" exhibition, which opened in Feb. 2019 and runs though Jan. 5, 2020. Woodruff Library, Level 3, (Fishburne Parking Deck FREE on weekends).

Last Saturday I arrived early for a research appointment at Emory’s Rose Library, so I took the stairs up to the third floor of the Woodruff Library to check out the powerful exhibition, “Framing Shadows: Portraits of Nannies from the Robert Langmuir African American Photograph Collection.” Kimberly Wallace-Sanders, associate professor of American Studies and African American Studies at Emory, has thoughtfully curated 20 stirring portraits of nannies from Langmuir’s collection (12,000 photos from 1840–1970!), and “Framing Shadows” also pulls together brief videos of Wallace-Sanders, who’s currently at work on her second book about African American nannies, detailing the Langmuir collection, the humanizing and educational installation, and her research. Several glass display cases of relevant rare books and materials, also selected from the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, further contextually anchor the complex exhibit which runs though Jan. 5, 2020. 

Exhibit runs through Jan. 5, 2020

A particular display in "Framing Shadows" has been on my mind all week, though. In 1910, a great effort got underway to build the Black Mammy Memorial Institute in Athens, GA (not to be confused with the 1923 campaign pushed by the U.D.C. for a national "Negro Mammy" monument in Washington, D.C.). The architectural rendering of the Classical-style building hangs above the glass case, which includes a promotional brochure showing tributes to "black mammies" from prominent Athenians and even Henry W. Grady, a subscription form to support the memorial institute, a Dec. 1912 issue of The Crisis magazine open to W.E.B. Du Bois’ essay, “The Black Mother,” and the 1917 story, “Mammy,” also from The Crisis, by Adeline Ries, among many other archival treasures — you will simply need to experience “Framing Shadows” for yourself to confront your own reactions and feelings and understanding of the long tradition of black women raising white people's children.

Kimberly Wallace-Sanders

For example, when I wrote about Bukumba a couple of years ago, I didn't doubt the family had genuine love and affection for her, but I also struggled with her ultimately sacrificial role during the 1920 flu epidemic. To me she was such a special hero as are these all too often unsung caregivers, so I am quite grateful Robert Langmuir knew in his heart's eye (as did Professor Kimberly Wallace-Sanders) to dignify them (and so much of the African American experience!) and to capture their humanity— these portraits are absolute treasure. "Framing Shadows" is more evidence that Emory continues to reckon with its past ties to slavery just as so many other universities, such as the University of Georgia, Oglethorpe University, Georgia Tech, and numerous other institutions, are still reconciling theirs and new knowledge is brought into the light. In fact, as I will explore in a future post, many of these same universities are directly linked to the history of the Stone Mountain Confederate carving, some of its most notable sculptors, and even wear its stone.