One Shot Harris: The Photographs of Charles Teenie Harris

As I slowly turned the pages on this masterpiece, it brought back so many memories. I came along much later than most of these photographs, however, I can remember as a little girl walking down Herron Avenue or driving through as we lived not too far from there. I left Pittsburgh 20 years ago, and much has changed. My father was also a picture taker and I remember watching him develop his pictures in the cellar. He used a very dark bulb and I can almost smell the chemicals he used. It was amazing to me and my sisters to watch those pictures come to life right before our eyes. I don't know if my father knew Charles Harris, because I didn't hear about him myself until a few years ago and I had lived in Pittsburgh for 40 years before moving away. I did hear talk that some type of building is to be erected or dedicated featuring most of Mr. Harris' photographs. To my knowledge that has not happened yet, but when it does, I will make a trip home to see it.

The 120 photographs in One Shot Harris depict the struggle of African Americans against discrimination and show the strength and dignity which they displayed in creating their own unique community institutions. Although the days are gone when a corner of Pittsburgh's Hill District, Wylie and ? were known as the Crossroads of the World - a casualty of "urban renewal" in the form of the Civic Arena, Harris's photographs survive as a reminder and a record of that time. Charles Harris' familiarity with this community infuses his work with a uniquely intimate sense of the neighborhood and its people. A recent exhibit of his work at the Westmoreland Museum of Art even had the title "Spirit of the Community."Charles "One Shot" or "Teenie" Harris was born in Pittsburgh and his work as staff photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier and as an operator of his own photographic studio spanning from the 1930s to the 1970s, provide us with a glimpse into the lives of people in the Hill during that time. His work shows many different aspects of society, including people at work, at play - mostly in the restaurants or clubs, such as the Crawford Grill and the Hurricane. Harris also captured musical celebrities such as Louis Armstrong (pg. 145), Duke Ellington (pg. 146), Billy Eckstine (pg. 151, 153, 155), Lena Horne (pg. 150), Sarah Vaughan (pg. 151), Sam Cooke (pg. 152), Cab Calloway (pg. 156), Ray Charles (pg. 158), Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie (both on pg. 155). All of these musicians flocked to the Hill's clubs to jam. Harris also captured legendary Negro League baseball players of the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords (pgs.96-99), for whom Harris himself played for when they were known as the Crawford Colored Giants. His images also show unique scenes with legendary boxers Muhammad Ali (pg. 92) and Joe Louis (pg. 93, 156). Politicians such as Eleanor Roosevelt (pg. 84), John F. Kennedy (pg. 88-89), Martin Luther King, Jr. (pg.91), Dwight Eisenhower (pg. 86) and Richard Nixon (pg. 87) are shown interacting with the public.Literary and social critic Stanley Crouch gives the photographs a context by presenting an overview of Pittsburgh's history that emphasizes the importance of African American people and especially by identifying the significant migration of African Americans from the South to the North, filling the jobs of the recently departed soldiers in factories whose production was crucial for the war efforts. Between 1910 and 1930 the African American population of Pittsburgh grew by some 120 percent, from 25,600 to 55,000. Although the Pittsburgh's population has declined significantly since 1910, its African American population has increased from 25,600 to over 86,000. These photographs help document the most vibrant period in Pittsburgh's growing African American community. His essay displays a meticulous recognition of details in photographs, making even the most common image an interesting story. Crouch also identifies the significant

Teenie was a true master of his craft. He captured mid-20th century Black Pittsburgh as did Matthew Brady during the Civil War. Teenie's photos do "jump off the page." Teenie's vivid images reflect his vibrant, passionate approach to life and his surroundings.

One of the best well kept secrets, and only known to the Pittsburgh area, was Charles Teenie Harris, who made photos out of one shot(hence his other nickname),worked for the Pittsburgh Courier, as well as owned his own photo studio. He photographed the famous and ordinary, rich and poor, black and white(sometimes integrated), and most events in Pittsburgh at the time(1930s-1970s). Once you open this book, you will fall in love and enjoy the photos that this man has made and appreciate his love for art. Although for the most part the photos are tasteful, there are some that are not(murder and accident scenes) and even those are not obscene as one may feel. I recommend this book to all who wish to know of Mr Harris. It is sad that he got accolades after his passing, as well as to never know that his work was returned to him, after going to court to retrieve it. Oh and one more thing, check out Stanley Crouch's biting commentary on Pittsburgh and its history at the beginning. You won't look at history that way again.