Curator of Photographs
National Portrait Gallery
Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012
MRC 973
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Research Interests
I am interested in the history of American portrait photography from its beginnings to the present day. In addition to examining the work of well-known photographers, I am intrigued by the lives and careers of American photographers whose portraiture has been largely overlooked.
Current Research Projects
I am in the early stages of investigating the life and work of photographer Jose Maria Mora. A native of Cuba, Mora came to the United States in the late 1860s and shortly thereafter, opened a portrait studio in New York City. Specializing in images of celebrities and theatrical performers, Mora built one of the most popular and commercially successful portrait studios in America during the last quarter of the 19th century.
Current or Projected Exhibits
It is hoped that an exhibition may result from my Jose Maria Mora research.
Recent Publications
A Durable Memento: Portraits by Augustus Washington, African American Daguerreotypist (1999), exhibition catalog;
"An African American Daguerreotypist in Liberia" in Footsteps magazine, Vol. 3, No. 1 (January-February 2001): 17-19