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Through the Lens

The Photography of Allen E. Cole


Open through May 25, 2012.

Allen E. Cole, as a portrait photographer, pictorially chronicled the ever changing and evolving African American community in Cleveland from 1919 well into the mid-1960s. Today we are the benefactors of his art and business acumen. The Allen E. Cole Collection of the African American Archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society consists of nearly 30,000 negatives and 6000 original prints that showcase the rich, diverse and complex life of African Americans in Cleveland.

Cole was born in Kearneysville, West Virginia, in 1884. He graduated from Storer College in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in 1905. Cole moved to Cleveland around 1915 and took a job waiting tables at the Cleveland Athletic Club. After an apprenticeship under the tutelage of photographer Frank Moore, Cole established his part time practice in 1919. He teamed up with photographer Charles Horton in 1920 and finally ventured out on his own when he opened a small studio in his home on East 103rd Street in 1922. By 1924, Cole moved to a larger home on Cedar Avenue and opened a more sophisticated studio.

Portrait photography was Cole’s specialty and he was recognized as the leading African American photographer in Cleveland. He was an artist who used his camera in the same manner that an accomplished portrait artist would use their brush and palate. Cole focused his camera lens on individuals, groups, families, businesses, churches and streets. His studio on Cedar Avenue was an attraction to the community residents. Cole created tabletop displays of his best works at various African-American business fairs in Cleveland in which he promoted his services and work.

The Allen E. Cole Collection as seen here is a sampling of images from the WRHS archives, some of which are part of the forthcoming book, Through the Lens of Allen E. Cole by Samuel Black and Regennia Williams, (Kent State University Press in cooperation with Western Reserve Historical Society).

Pre-Publication Sale Information

Publication will be available in the History Center Museum Story by March 2012.