CONTENT: This site contains nearly 300 photographs from the work of the father and son photographic team of George and Huestis Cook. Photographs were selected from the Valentine Richmond History Center's collection of more than 10,000 original negatives.
AESTHETICS: The layout is simple, attractive and user friendly. Real Player is needed to view the slide show introduction to the site.
ORGANIZATION: The photographs are organized into subject categories and can be searched by keyword or browsed by any of the nineteen subjects. Links to various areas of the site are listed on the left side of the page.
REVIEW: This Web site is a joint project between VCU Libraries and the Valentine Richmond History Center. It makes these 300 photographs of African American life in turn-of-the-century Central Virginia available to every interested party from historical researchers to school children. The photos depict African Americans realistically rather than the typical stereotypes and give a pictorial history of African American life from the 1860's – 1930's. Categories of photographs include architecture, education, children, labor, religion, and more. Each search displays the photos along with keyword links to related topics. Included at the site is information about the photographers, an explanation of keywords and a glossary of image terminology. This collection would be great supplement the history curriculum or a social studies unit for Black History Month.
