Black Horizons host Chris Moore in the WQED Studios
In 1986, legendary
Pittsburgh Courier photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris was swindled out of his life’s work by a street vendor, who convinced Harris to sell his 100,000 photos and negatives for only $3,000. At the time, Harris was nearly 80 years old and didn’t have a lot of money. Even though Harris’ work is legendary now, in Pittsburgh circles and beyond, it didn’t really start to receive widespread recognition — especially outside of Black media — until very late in Harris’ life.
Several years later, Harris and his family sued the street vendor and claimed the Harris estate was entitled to one-third of all profits from sales and exhibition of his work. In 2001, a few years after Harris passed away in 1998, the estate won that suit, and the collection was back in control of the Harris family.