Horace Stewart was an important figure in the Akron Black community. In fact, there was an elementary school constructed in 1968 that was named after him. The Stewarts would take photographs of people and events that interested them, and Evelyn, Horace’s wife, considered it their “contribution to the city.”
In an Akron Beacon Journal article from the April 30, 1973, with the headline “Will Historic, Rundown N. Howard Recover?” Evelyn Stewart talks about life on Howard Street. By that time, she and Horace had operated and managed their studio at 11 1/2 N. Howard Street location for 35 years, primarily serving Black residents of Akron, Ohio. The studio opened in 1934, and Evelyn ran it after Horace passed away in 1968 until 1978.
In the article, Evelyn describes Howard Street as “deteriorated,” explaining how white business owners moved out, boarded up, or rented out to Black people. The Stewarts’ business was still alive and well, and Evelyn mentioned that she was well-known and not concerned with the crime in the area.
“Horace Stewart and His Camera” featured above is from The University of Akron’s Archives and Special Collections. The Evelyn and Horace Stewart Photography Collection features a negatives and studio photography from Horace and Evelyn Stewart. This entry illuminates the lives of those who kept such a powerful record of Akron’s Black community.
Resources
- “The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio.” Newspapers.com, 8 Jan. 1992, Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
- “Stewart Primary School under construction, Akron, 1968.” Summit Memory, Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
- “Horace Stewart and His Camera.” Summit Memory, Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
- Evelyn Poole Stewart McNeil, 1918-1992 – Akron Women’s History. 11 Sept. 2013, blogs.uakron.edu/womenshistory/2013/09/11/evelyn-poole-stewart-mcneil-1918-1992/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.
- Gramlich, Jane. “Shining a Light on the Finest Angle: Horace and Evelyn Poole Stewart.” Past Pursuits, Vol. 20, No. 4, Past_Pursuits_Winter_2021.pdf (akronlibrary.org)
- “Archival Collections on Local Black History in Archives and Special Collections.” The University of Akron Archives and Special Collections. Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.