More to the Story with Staley: Brazelton Exhibit

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — An exhibit at Ruby Falls documents the talent and works of a very important man. A man that many people probably haven’t heard of.

It’s been up and running for several weeks now. It highlights the photography of Horace Brazelton, one of Chattanooga’s first Black photographers.

He was a trailblazer. For many years, he had a studio on MLK Boulevard. The exhibit even has a re-creation of that studio.

His work captured Black Chattanoogans in the segregated South of the early- and mid-20th century.

Local historian Stefanie Haire put this all together. She first came upon Brazelton’s photographs in early 2020, when she decided to dig deeper.

“When the COVID lockdown began in March of 2020, I had a lot of time on my hands,” said historic preservationist Stefanie Haire. “So, I started searching, and I had a lot of help from various sources. It just ballooned from there.”

Haire had a good amount of help putting this all together, to include the Chattanooga Historical Society, the Bessie Smith Center and the public library.

In three and a half years of work, Haire collected well over a hundred of Brazelton’s photos. Many had never been seen before.

All with the goal of shining a light on a man… and a period of time long ago.

“To educate who Horace Brazelton was, his story was largely forgotten after he passed away in 1956. Besides that, we want to honor his legacy. To make sure his photos live on. Because he really hasn’t received the recognition he richly deserves,” Haire explained.

So far, thousands of people have seen this exhibit. It comes down this weekend, with the last day to view it being September 15. But Haire says it will become a traveling exhibit in the weeks and months to come.

Besides his photography, Brazelton was also a realtor. And for many years, he was the official photographer of The Howard School here in Chattanooga.