The Teenie Harris Archive
The Teenie Harris Archive at Carnegie Museum of Art is the repository for nearly 80,000 images taken by Charles "Teenie" Harris from the 1930s to the 1980s. It is an unparalleled document of the African American experience in the 20th century.
Charles “Teenie” Harris was born and raised in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. As a child, he was nicknamed “Teenie.” He expressed curiosity about photography early in life and his grandfather, who shared his interest, fueled this passion.
Pittsburgh Courier newspaper press operator, possibly William Brown, possibly printing Chicago or other Midwestern edition (November 1954) by Charles “Teenie” HarrisCarnegie Museum of Art
The Pittsburgh Courier
Teenie’s decision to seriously pursue photography became his livelihood, and shortly thereafter, his self-taught expertise sanctioned his position as the preeminent photographer for The Pittsburgh Courier—a top-rated African American news publication—for over 40 years.
Teenie’s photographs include portraits taken in his Hill District studio and scenes from weddings, sporting events, and entertainment throughout the Hill District’s famous bars and concert venues, in addition to the photographs that he took for the Courier.
At the Courier, Teenie worked with top reporters such as Frank Bolden, George Barbour, and Wendell Smith—national leaders in their journalistic fields. The swift and precise way that he could capture a subject led Pittsburgh mayor David Lawrence to bestow him with an additional nickname: “One Shot Harris.”
“If there are 42 million African Americans, then there are 42 million ways to be Black.”
–Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr, historian
Teenie Harris’ photography is unparalleled proof of living while Black, in the 20th century. The Black community has sustained itself through slavery, reformation, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Nationalist movement, the Obama era, and now Black Lives Matter. The Teenie Harris Archive illustrates the intimate pictures of African American’s daily lives, community, struggle, and most important - resilience.
Three boys watching demolition of buildings by R. J. Omslaer Wrecking Company crane, at future site of Civic Arena, Lower Hill District (November 1956) by Charles “Teenie” HarrisCarnegie Museum of Art
Carnegie Museum of Art's stewardship of the Teenie Harris Archive allows us to witness what might otherwise be lost from our collective memory. These pictures of Black life in Pittsburgh capture the daily lives, struggles, and resilience of this community.
Thanks to the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Carnegie Museum of Art has digitized nearly 60,000 of Harris’ negatives, and the collection is now available online!
