Ernest C. Withers Photography Collection

Ernest C. Withers (1922-2007) was a Memphis-based photographer for over 40 years, whose work features many of the key historical moments and cultural subjects that are part of the vision of the NMAAHC. His photographs cover in-depth the story of the Negro Leagues, especially the teams and athletes that played at black-owned Martin Stadium; the Memphis music scene in the '50s, '60s, and '70s; and the Civil Rights Movement.

Withers operated his studio as a freelance photographer in Memphis since the late 1940s. His photographs appeared in Life, Time, Newsweek, Jet, and the Defender, among others. He always licensed the use of his images and retained copyright to them.

Young woman receives her voter registration card, Fayette County, TN, 1960

© Ernest C. Withers, Courtesy Panopticon Gallery, Boston, MA

Mule train leaves for Washington, Poor People’s March, Marks, MS, May 1968

© Ernest C. Withers, Courtesy Panopticon Gallery, Boston, MA

Among the numerous Civil Rights moments captured by his camera were the Emmett Till murder trial, the desegregation of Little Rock, James Meredith's entry into the University of Mississippi, Medgar Evers funeral, the 1966 "March Against Fear," and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis in 1968. Withers photographed celebrity musicians and singers and Negro League sports heroes. He also documented the local social life of African Americans in Memphis, from local night clubs to debutante balls.

Ernie Banks, Larry Doby, Matty Brescia, Jackie Robinson and unidentified boys at Martin’s Stadium, Memphis, TN, 1953

© Ernest C. Withers, Courtesy Panopticon Gallery, Boston, MA

NMAAHC's collection includes 30 images – modern prints made from the original negatives under Withers' supervision.

Lionel Hampton at the Hippodrome, Memphis, TN, c. 1955

© Ernest C. Withers, Courtesy Panopticon Gallery, Boston, MA

Isaac Hayes in his office at Stax Records, Memphis, TN, November 1970

© Ernest C. Withers, Courtesy Panopticon Gallery, Boston, MA