Horace Brazelton was the first recognized photographer for the African American community in Chattanooga, staying in business from the earliest years of the twentieth century until his death in 1956.
A German photographer trained Mr. Brazelton in his home before opening his own brick and mortar studio with his wife, Hettie, who also helped him with most of their business at Brazelton’s Studio.
We celebrate Horrace Brazelton’s work through this collection. It also includes other photography collections by African American photographers in Chattanooga who followed.
july, 2022
The Chattanooga Historical Society opened on August 1st, 2021, at 110 E. 7th Street in a 1,300 sq. ft. recently renovated circa. 1910 storefront in historic downtown Chattanooga. The new space lets us interface with the public and is a center for our live programs, walking tours, and preservation work.
The growing Chattanooga Archive evolved from a grassroots project on Facebook (Picnooga) to make Chattanooga history and its collections more accessible online. The collection began with a shoebox of old photographs and a used scanner donated by the Epson Corporation.
90% of our collection was acquired through thousands of small donations over eight years, making Picnooga one of the top crowdfunding efforts in Chattanooga.
Picnooga is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity. Copyright © 2022 – Chattanooga Historical Society. All rights reserved