Keep All You Wish: the Photographs of Hugh Mangum
Reprinted courtesy of the Asheville Art Museum
by Sarah Stacke
Inside or outside his photo studio, Hugh Mangum (1877-1922) created an atmosphere – respectful and often playful – in which hundreds of men, women and children genuinely revealed themselves.
Born and raised in Durham, NC, Mangum began establishing studios and working as an itinerant photographer in the early 1890s, traveling by rail through North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
Remarkable for his time, Mangum attracted and cultivated a clientele that drew heavily from both black and white communities.
Although the early 20th century American South in which he worked was marked by disenfranchisement, segregation and inequality, Mangum portrayed all of his sitters with candor, humor and spirit. Above all, he showed them as individuals.
The Photographs of Hugh Mangum, on display Friday, March 13 through Sunday, July 12, 2015 at the Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square, downtown Asheville. (828) 253-3227; www.ashevilleart.org
