The Modern Photographer: Observation and Intention, Selections from the Permanent Collection, October 1, 2010 - July 3, 2011, Historic Wing, Paul L. Davies Gallery, San José Museum of Art.

Beyond Tradition: Permanent Collection Photographs, September 27, 2003 - August 22, 2004, Historic Wing, Paul L. Davies Gallery, Second Floor, San José Museum of Art.

Selections from the Permanent Collection, January 1983 - May 17, 1983, San José Museum of Art.

from the exhibition Beyond Tradition: Permanent Collection Photographs, 2003-2004.

With this image Polk presents a portrait of agricultural chemist and inventor George Washington Carver (1860-1943) in his Tuskegee University laboratory conducting experiments. Carver developed crop-rotation methods for conserving nutrients in soil, and discovered hundreds of new uses for crops such as the peanut. Polk was an influential African-American photographer who served as both an educator and a mentor for the Tuskegee students. Beginning in 1927 Polk operated a private portrait studio, photographing influential people such as Paul Robeson, Will Rogers, Joe Louis, Henry Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Outside the university community, Polk found Macon County, Alabama to be full of subject possibilities, including portraits of local sharecroppers and agricultural workers.

• Image Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (19.05 x 24.13 cm)

This object is a member of the following portfolios: