Will Grossman photographs of Durham, North Carolina, 1969-1979, 2006

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Summary

Creator:
Grossman, Will and Grossman, Will
Abstract:
Will Grossman was a 20th century documentary photographer based in Durham, North Carolina. The 80 black-and-white images in the collection chiefly document Durham County and the city of Durham in the 1970s. There are also 488 negatives, as well as a set of 16 inkjet exhibition prints and an exhibit poster from 2006. Grossman's subjects include barns and rural landscapes; houses and churches; tobacco warehouses, a cigarette factory, and other industrial buildings; tobacco workers and other portraits of individuals, including many African Americans; scenes along the Eno River; and the Durham County Fair. A few images are from Orange County, N.C. Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.
Extent:
6 Linear Feet (8 boxes; 1 oversize folder; 585 items)
585 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.00485

Background

Scope and content:

The 80 black-and-white images in the collection chiefly document Durham County and the city of Durham in the 1970s. There are also 488 negatives, as well as a set of 16 inkjet exhibition prints and an exhibit poster from 2006. Grossman's subjects include barns and rural landscapes; houses and churches; tobacco warehouses, a cigarette factory, and other industrial buildings; tobacco workers and other portraits of individuals, including many African Americans; scenes along the Eno River; and the Durham County Fair. A few images are from Orange County, N.C. Included in the collection is one of Grossman's most important photographs, "Sunbeam," which features three men sitting in a shaft of sunlight near a warehouse door. Prints are arranged in image number order supplied by library staff.

The 80 gelatin silver prints range in size from 4x6 to 10 3/4 x 13 3/4 inches, and are organized in the following topical series: Buildings; Durham, N.C.; Durham County Fair; Eno River; Landscapes and the Natural World; and Portraits. These series titles were supplied by library staff, with a few exceptions. There is also an exhibit prints series housing 16 digitally printed inkjet photographs that range from 8x8 to 16 x 24 3/4 inches. The sizes of the mats range from 11x14 to 24x32 inches.

Some prints bear original captions; captions supplied by library staff are in brackets. Print numbers were supplied by library staff. Among the negatives in the collection are images that represent the photographic prints in the collection, but there are also many negatives for which prints do not exist, including images of locations in Durham city and county.

Acquired as part of the Archive of Documentary Arts at Duke University.

Biographical / historical:

Will Grossman (1945-2012) was born in the Ukraine and emigrated to Brooklyn, New York, where he received a B.A. in Arts from Brooklyn College. He migrated to the South and received further training and an M.Ed. from North Carolina State University. He was active in developing and promoting educational programs and materials on Jewish history, including a large traveling exhibit, "Down Home," exploring aspects of Jewish life in the South.

Acquisition information:
The Will Grossman photographs of Durham, North Carolina were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2010 and 2012.
Processing information:

Processed by Joanne Fairhurst and Matthew Warren, December 2012.

Encoded by Joanne Fairhurst, Paula Jeannet, and Matthew Warren, December 2012. Description enhancements by Paula Jeannet, January 2017.

Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 2010-0195, 2012-0113.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

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Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Portions of the collection are restricted: the negatives are closed to access.

Images may only be used for non-commercial, educational purposes; they may not be reproduced except by permission of donor.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Will Grossman photographs of Durham, North Carolina, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.