cover image Proof: Photographs from Four Generations of a Texas Family

Proof: Photographs from Four Generations of a Texas Family

Byrd M. Williams IV. Univ. of North Texas, $39.95 (224p) ISBN 978-1-57441-656-5

This intimate and revealing photo collection is unusual in its premise: the photos—which date back to the 1880s and cover a variety of subjects—were taken by four generations of Texan photographers all named Byrd Moore Williams. Culled from more than 10,000 images housed in the Byrd Williams Collection at the University of North Texas, this selection, chosen by the fourth and final Williams photographer (aka Byrd IV), documents the cultural landscape of Texas over the years through the photographic lenses and evolving interests of four members of the same family. The photographs capture the world as it was—the crowded interior of a general store in Gainesvilles, Tex., circa 1885; elementary school boys performing in blackface for a school play. Williams marvels that “such a diverse archive has survived more or less intact for 120-plus years,” provides insightful context about several featured photographs, and reflects on the permanent nature of photography. Some of the photos are mundane, such as snapshots of the Alamo taken at the same angle in 1890, 1947, and 1970; others are much more provocative, particularly three images depict Williams’s twin sister, Pam, at critical stages of her life, including death. This eclectic grouping of photographs is deeply rooted in Texas history yet still resonant for outside admirers of photography. Photos. (Nov.)