Withers Collection Museum and Gallery

The Withers Collection Museum and Gallery will embark on the second phase of a digitization effort to preserve the original negatives of its Civil Rights Collection. The collection is largely the work of Dr. Ernest C. Withers, a renowned photojournalist who captured many of the most iconic images of the Civil Rights Movement, and was the personal photographer for Dr. King for twelve years. Funding will support the digitization, duplication, and re-housing of the oldest silver gelatin negatives, identified as a priority in an initial collections survey. Following the completion of a catalogue and inventory process, the museum will digitize the original negatives, prepare duplicate negatives, and re-house originals for cold storage. A research finding aid will be prepared for educators and researchers and low-resolution images will be available through the Crossroads to Freedom Digital Archive at Rhodes College as well as the Digital Library of Tennessee.