Bob Williams / Memphis Heritage
He may not be a household name, but for more than three decades his
work appeared in almost half the households in Memphis. As a
photographer for The Commercial Appeal from 1949 to 1982, Bob
Williams captured many of the biggest events and celebrities of the
day, and a selection of those photographs and the equipment he used
will be on display at Memphis Heritage from April 23rd through May
29th.
“Bob Williams’ Passion for All Things Photography” describes him as
a “daredevil, investigator, collector, and press photographer,” and
Williams is a bit embarrassed by some of those descriptions. “‘Devil’
would be more like it,” he says, laughing. “But I certainly found
myself in some interesting places, that’s for sure. One time I climbed
up into the very top of Halliburton Tower at Rhodes College to shoot
them installing the new bell there, and the people way down below
looked like ants.”
And what about his role as “investigator”? Williams tells about the
time he looked into a little-known business — speedometer repair
shops in Memphis — and discovered that they “fixed” the gauges by
turning the mileage back for local used-car dealers. The story got
picked up by the Associated Press and ultimately resulted in national
laws forbidding the practice.
In his long career, Williams photographed sports greats such as
Arnold Palmer and politicians such as Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and
Johnson. (That’s Williams shown taking Johnson’s picture.) One of the
photos in the exhibit is of a considerably humbler subject: his son,
lying on the floor and playing with a puppy. “That’s one of my
favorites,” Williams says. “I’ve always liked human-interest photos.
You don’t have hot news every day, so I would always be on the search
for photos that would be entertaining, because people really like
those. It paid off, and I got a name for doing that type of work.”
The exhibit also features vintage camera equipment, from the old box
cameras of the early 1900s to the Speed Graphics of the 1950s and the
Nikons of the ’60s.
“Bob Williams’ Passion for All Things Photography” at Memphis
Heritage, 2282 Madison, April 23rd to May 29th. opening reception:
Thursday, April 23rd, 5 to 7 p.m.
