Social scene pictures3/22/2023 ![]() Framed against darkened backdrops - Williams shot intuitively, often without clear vision of his exposures - and cropped abruptly onto medium format monochrome, they cast a spell of mystery and elegance. Revelers are dressed to the nines in a variety of black tie suits, costumes, boas, sequined gowns and veiled hats. A mood of late-night excitement carries throughout the book. Philadelphia certainly knew how to throw a party. Their minds and eyes are generally engaged off-camera, perhaps cutting mental deals or scanning the room for A-listers. If his resulting photos are any evidence, it seems that most subjects paid him little attention. In some ways he blended right in, at least as well as a Black man could amid the stodgy white glad handlers. He shot freely from the hip in dimly lit spaces. “You know, the best people, the best behavior, the best food, the best, best, best, best, best.” Seeking the best best best he arrived at parties with his camera, dressed for the occasion in a tuxedo. “The Philadelphia parties were supposed to be the best,” he tells Edith Newhall in the book’s interview. Philadelphia’s social scene at the time was (and to some extent still is) predicated on a network of private clubs, a powerful and secretive underworld of movers and shakers which Williams was determined to penetrate. He eventually gained official permission and regular access. Williams used such blurbs initially to scout potential photo ops. Torn from old gossip sections, they recount an ever revolving calendar of balls, parties, celebrations and occasions. His shoots extended into the late 90s, although the book does not go past 1988.Īn early spread of news clippings in the book sets the tone for what’s to come. He began the series back in 1979, just after settling roots in Philly. One might be tempted to read into them an unconscious compensation, as if Williams was making up for decades of inanimate imagery in one fell swoop. Social clusters pile tightly into each frame, captured by Williams with close-range flash. Not only does Party Pictures show people, it does so with relish. In the context of past projects, his book Party Pictures comes across as an outlier. Instead they document historical artifacts. For an oeuvre focused on humanity and the impact of history, it’s worth noting that none of Williams’ photos depict living people. He’s photographed the former locations of slave trading and the battle relics of Gettysburg, explored the Underground Railroad, and paid homage to under-recognized African-American Civil War soldiers. Over the last four decades, he’s tackled numerous photo projects centered on African-American history and the inanimate artifacts of racial reckoning. Photographer William Earle Williams is based in Philadelphia, where he’s taught at Haverford since earning his Yale MFA in 1978. ![]() ![]() 92 pp., 44 black-and-white tritone plates and 29 illustrations, 8½x8½". The Print Center, Philadephia, PA, USA, 2021.
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