A True Likeness

A True Likeness tells the story of Richard Samuel Roberts, a little-known African American photographer from South Carolina whose posthumous discovery transcended stereotypes and brought to light a significant legacy

General - African American History, Media Arts

A True Likeness tells the story of Richard Samuel Roberts, a little-known African American photographer from South Carolina whose posthumous discovery transcended stereotypes and brought to light a significant legacy. Heralded as one of the south’s most accomplished photographers of the 1920's and 1930's, Roberts was a self-taught artist who was determined to become a master portrait maker, with every image a true likeness of the subject. But for more than 40 years after his death his work remained lost to all but his family and friends.

Closed captioning has been provided for this broadcast program.

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A True Likeness: Introduction | Carolina Stories
Episode 1

Video

An old photograph taken sometime between 1912 and 1914 is found, and experts were told to visit a Miss Hattie May Cornwell, in the Arsenal Hill community of Columbia, S.C. She not only identified the...
A True Likeness Learning Activity
A True Likeness Learning Activity

Document

Choose one of the photographs featured in the documentary, A True Likeness. Analyze the photograph using the prompts from the learning activity.