Author Talk | Unsung Portraits: with Tanzy Ward

This workshop explores the historical and cultural significance of preserving Black ancestral portraits from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Through a detailed PowerPoint and curated visual examples, attendees will learn how portrait photography served as a powerful tool of identity, dignity, and legacy during a time of inaccurate Black Americana and social transformations. Tanzy will guide participants through the various types of antique photographs, including common formats such as cartes de visite, cabinet cards, and tintypes, while offering practical methods for identifying their approximate era. In addition, attendees will receive accessible, hands-on guidance on how to properly preserve and care for antique photographs using safe, archival techniques. The presentation will emphasize and promote interests in ancestral heirlooms, genealogy, family history, visual culture, and the preservation of Black heritage. Books will be available for purchase. Registration is requested. * By registering, you consent to signing up for the monthly Adult Programs newsletter. Tanzy Ward is an antique dealer, historic preservationist, and author whose work unites decorative arts and history education to preserve ancestral material culture. Her research centers on integrating the ancestral Black diaspora into antique jewelry representation and reimagining the broader story of Black Victorian and Edwardian life. Presented by Adult Services