Charles "Teenie" Harris Archive Spotlighted

For over 40 years, Charles "Teenie" Harris served as the preeminent photographer for the *Pittsburgh Courier*, one of the nation's most influential Black newspapers. His tenure, from the 1930s to the 1970s, allowed him to create an unparalleled record of Black urban life through the Great Depression, World War II, and the Civil Rights movement. Known for his efficiency and skill, Harris earned the nickname "One Shot" from a Pittsburgh mayor because he rarely needed to take more than a single photograph of his subjects. This practice was also born of necessity, as he was required to pay for his own film and supplies while working for the *Courier*. The Carnegie Museum of Art acquired the vast collection of nearly 80,000 negatives from the Harris estate in 2001. This acquisition preserved a crucial piece of American history, honoring Harris's long-standing wish for his work to be publicly accessible. The archive is a living project, with tens of thousands of images digitized and available online. The museum actively encourages public participation to help identify the people, places, and events captured in the photographs, a process made urgent as many of the subjects are now in their later years. Beyond his newspaper work, Harris operated his own photography studio in the Hill District, a neighborhood nicknamed "Little Harlem" for its vibrant cultural scene. He photographed countless residents, from weddings and sporting events to portraits of visiting luminaries like Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, and Jackie Robinson. The collection consists of more than just photographs; it also includes approximately 5,000 feet of 16mm motion picture film shot by Harris. This footage offers another layer to his documentation of 20th-century life in Pittsburgh.