Representing the earliest days of Talladega, a 156-year-old, historically Black college, the images provide insights into what life was like for the campus community. Photos from the college farm, for example, appear bucolic but also are reminders that the institution had to be mostly self-sufficient during the Reconstruction era in the Deep South. 

Thomas’ professor, Debra Hess Norris, takes a hands-on, “learn by doing” approach to teaching the class called “ARTC 657, Photograph Conservation,” which she has taught for 40 years. A member of UD’s Board of Trustees, Norris also is director of the Winterthur/UD program, one of only four art conservation graduate programs in the nation. By some estimates, half of all photograph conservators in the U.S. have been trained by Norris.

“The students learn about the technology, identification, deterioration, and preservation of historic and contemporary photographic prints and negatives in a compressed period of time,” Norris said. “But more than any technical skill mastered, I want my students to come away from this class appreciating the importance and value of our photographic heritage. 

“By preserving these images from Talladega College, our students are making a contribution to cultural preservation in an immediate and tangible way.”

Talladega College has had several notable alumni over the years, including businesswoman Eunice Walker Johnson. Early in his career, distinguished artist David Driskell taught art at Talladega College. Trice regularly receives requests to access the college’s photo collections from researchers studying these and other individuals from the Talladega community. But, just as important, he said, are the inquiries he gets from individuals doing personal genealogy research.

“Talladega is a liberal arts college today but served various and sometimes simultaneous roles over the years — a nursing school, a teachers’ college, even a K-5 primary school in its earliest days,” Trice said. “Many people are surprised to discover that a family member has a Talladega connection. To provide them a copy of what might be the only existing photo of their relative is really special.”

On a January afternoon two and a half weeks after Riley Thomas’ first photo assessment, the energy in the student laboratory had shifted. The anxious, uncertain vibe was replaced with a methodical urgency — every action taken on a photo had to be measured and calculated, yet there were just days left to preserve this collection. Most of the students had spent the weekend in the lab and many planned to work into the evening.

Sarah Beach, a Rhode Islander who has done conservation work for the National Park Service, was deciding whether to use a solution of half-ethanol and half-deionized water to remove dirt from an image of the college infirmary. Other tools at her disposal were pure ethanol, cosmetic sponges, crumbled vinyl erasers, and soft brushes.