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.