Marietta 1899: Color Captured in Black & White

This special exhibit highlights the photography of New York photographer James Shaw and his visit to Marietta in the spring of 1899. The exhibit showcases never-before-seen images of the Marietta Square, the Marietta National Cemetery, Kennesaw Avenue, Kennesaw Mountain, and rural Cobb County.

While visiting, Shaw chose to attend the May 30th Federal Memorial Day celebrations on the Marietta Square. As a northerner, he was likely fascinated with how this formerly Confederate city would handle commemorating the Union dead. Not surprisingly, most attendants were African Americans from all over the Atlanta area. These are perhaps the most diverse images of 19th century Marietta we have ever seen. A truer version of life as it was, undiluted by the whitewashing of history. While bias of a white perspective remains, Shaw chose to include the activities of both races, thus presenting multiple shades of color in black and white photography.