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Review: Women of a New Tribe
Artist's "Photographic Celebration of the Black Woman" portrays sisters in classic style
reminiscent of Forties glamorous Hollywood actresses
Book Review by Kam Williams
“African-American females have had a very difficult history: from
slavery to racism to poverty. Although slavery has been abolished in this country, and
we are working on eradicating racism and poverty, in the 21st Century, African-American
females face one of the most difficult hurdles we have ever had to face: a severe lack
of self-respect. We have allowed the media to make us believe that we must have straight
hair, light skin, thin bodies and ’European’ features to be considered beautiful. This
book is not only an opportunity to reaffirm to all black women that we are ‘fearfully
and wonderfully made’ by God, but also an opportunity for everyone to see the emotions
and beauty Jerry Taliaferro wrought through his camera lens.”
-- Cheryl A. M. Waymer, mother and model,
in the Foreword (pg. 7)
“These beautiful women have always been around us. They are our
wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. We can see the beauty in them if just
try. Perhaps in seeing their beauty, we will come to see what makes a woman truly
beautiful… Just maybe we will come to understand that real beauty is more than that
which can be seen. Real beauty is that which lifts us, real beauty touches our hearts.”
-- Jerry Taliaferro in the
Preface (pg. 10)
Jerry Taliaferro is a West Point graduate who turned to photography
full-time after leaving the military in 1988 following a decorated career in the service as
a Special Forcers Officer. Over the intervening years, he has met with considerable success
at his true calling, though devoting most of his attention to commercial assignments.
Recently, however, after preparing a single portrait of an
African-American female originally intended simply to serve as a sample in his portfolio,
Jerry was struck by the fact that “Very little attention had been paid to the beauty of the
black woman. The black woman was almost invisible.” So, he came up with the novel idea of
portraying sisters in a glamorous style from the Forties reminiscent of the classic, black
and white fashion shoots of such classic Hollywood actresses as Greta Garbo and Katherine
Hepburn.
The upshot of his efforts is an enchanting, emotionally-engaging and
spiritually-stimulating masterpiece entitled “Women of a New Tribe: A Photographic
Celebration of the Black Woman.” Taliaferro proves himself to be quite a gifted artist
behind the camera with this eclectic collection of over 100 photos. For the images contained
on the pages of this oversized, coffee table book achieve far more than merely capturing
each model’s physical beauty. No, the pictures also magically reveal an intimate aspect of
the subjects’ souls as well.
It is noteworthy that this groundbreaking tome features a rainbow of
African-American females in terms of color, shape, size and age, and not just ones who meet
a shallow Eurocentric standard of beauty. “What about the jet black goddess with skin like
glass, the caramel toned Amazon or the Great-Grandmother whose beauty defies time?” the
author asks in the Introduction. “This book is an attempt to see them too.”
Indeed, a timely and overdue homage which wonderfully elevates and
illustrates both the inner and outer beauty of all sisters, a segment of society generally
taken for granted, if not denigrated by the mainstream culture.
Women of a New Tribe: A Photographic Celebration of the Black Woman
by Jerry Taliaferro
Jerry Taliaferro Publishing
Hardcover, $49.95
208 pages
ISBN: 097973090-2
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Lloyd
Kam Williams