About

3.5 cubic feet; photographic, printed.
750 gelatin silver prints approx.
100 color prints approx.
650 black and white and color negatives approx.

Collection Description

Eugene Roquemore, a commercial and community photographer, was born February 3, 1921, in Timpson, Texas. He grew up in Henderson, Texas and was educated in local schools. During the Second World War he served in the Army and saw action in Germany and France, receiving four Bronze Stars. After the War he attended Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, where he studied under photographer Curtis Humphrey. Roquemore briefly operated a studio in Henderson before moving to Lubbock, Texas in 1952.

In Lubbock, Roquemore worked at the Roberts Studio, owned by Sam Roberts. He later worked at Frito-Lay, Inc. in Lubbock from about 1966 to 1986 and also held a part-time job at the Lubbock bus station before retiring in 1986. From the time he arrived in Lubbock until health concerns limited his activities, Roquemore photographed freelance in the African American community.

Roquemore was married twice, the second time to Pearlie B. Roquemore, about 1950. He died on March 30, 1993. An oral history with Pearlie B. Roquemore and examples of Eugene Roquemore’s work appear in Portraits of Community: African American Photography in Texas (Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1996).

The collection consists of prints and negatives documenting the life and culture of the African American community of Lubbock, Texas. Religious, business, and social life are represented, including a series of nightclub portraits made in the 1950s at Lubbock's Cotton Club. Another series of photographs document Roquemore's family and friends and includes images of his home and business in Henderson, Texas and his photography class at Wiley College. Most of the 8x10 prints are hand-printed, including a small series of printed material including articles and obituaries about Eugene Roquemore and examples of his photography in print.

Arrangement: prints arranged by subject and year when identified. Negatives arranged alphanumerically and within year when identified.

Copyright and permissions: use in educational research and publication only. Permission from TAAP Archive required.

Source: Mrs. Pearlie B. Roquemore

See also: Oral History Collection