“3 Views” Photographic Exhibit Presented at Gulf Coast Library

News item published on: 2016-08-05 09:25:40

The Gulf Coast Library presents “3 Views,” a photographic exhibit on display from August 15 through October 31 at The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach.

Prepared by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Museum of Historical Photography, “3 Views” refers to the work of three photographers: William Henry Jackson, Willis Vail and Lewis Hine.  

The exhibit features each photographer’s unique perspective on the formative changes taking place on the Mississippi Gulf Coast during the early years of the 20^th century. The exhibit also refers to the way the photographers used the term “views” to describe the images reflected in the glass of their view cameras, a term that was used more then as pictures or photographs are used today.

During a time when photography was still defining itself, these practitioners arrived on the scene to illustrate the artistic differences seen among early photographers.

William Henry Jackson, best known for his images of the Wild West, took more than 40,000 “views” on glass plates during his long career. This show focuses on the views of the Gulf Coast he took from 1901 to 1906.

Willis Vail, unknown until his glass plate images were discovered in 1970, was the chief engineer for the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad and documented the development of both the Port of Gulfport and City of Gulfport.

Lewis Hine, as a national investigator for the National Child Labor Committee, documented child abuse in the seafood industry of the Gulf Coast.

“3 Views” will be on display through October at the Gulf Coast Library. For more information, visit www.msmohp.com or contact the Gulf Coast Library at 228.214.3450.