More Than a Century of Black Family Life

The Watson-Clark Family Collection is a privately held multigenerational archive documenting Black American family life from the late 1800s through the 20th century.

I am the family griot and steward of the collection, which includes thousands of original photographs, along with letters, documents, yearbooks, family artifacts and the stories that give them context.

The collection follows generations of my family from Texas to California and preserves more than a century of everyday Black life.

Our Family Story

My great-grandparents, Paul Watson, born in Mississippi in 1858, and Alice Johnson Watson, born in Tennessee in 1863, raised their family in Dallas, Texas beginning in the late 1800s.

Their children and grandchildren came of age in a segregated Texas. My grandmother, Ethel Watson Clark, was born in Dallas in 1905 and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1924. Her yearbook, photographs and other family materials remain part of the collection today.

Around 1938, the family migrated from Texas to Los Angeles, beginning another chapter that is extensively documented through photographs and other materials.

Together, these items create a visual and personal record of one Black American family across generations, geographic regions and enormous social change.

Everyday Black Life, Preserved

One of the things that makes The Watson-Clark Family Collection distinctive is what the photographs show.

These are not primarily images of famous people or headline-making historical events. They document Black people living their lives.

Family. Education. Work. Migration. Travel. Fashion. Automobiles. Military service. Leisure. Relationships. Celebrations. Segregation. Childhood. Aging. Home life.

There are formal portraits and casual snapshots. School photographs and family gatherings. Road trips and new cars. Young people coming of age and older generations surrounded by the families they created.

Many of the photographs are accompanied by names, relationships, dates, locations, family stories, letters, documents and other information that provides context beyond the image itself.

Taken together, the collection provides something that individual historic photographs often cannot: continuity.

We can see the same family across generations.

A Living Family Archive

The Watson-Clark Family Collection is not simply a group of old photographs.

It is a living family archive.

I continue to research the people, places and events represented in the collection and preserve the stories passed down through generations of my family. Through GrandmaGoneWild, I share selected photographs and stories while exploring the larger history surrounding them.

What I share publicly represents only a small portion of the complete collection.

Exhibitions, Publications, Research & Licensing

The Watson-Clark Family Collection remains privately owned by the family.

I welcome inquiries from museums, libraries, archives, universities, publishers, documentary and film producers, educators, researchers and other cultural institutions interested in working with material from the collection.

Depending upon the project, individual images, groups of images or larger portions of the collection may be available for:

• Museum and gallery exhibitions

• Books and publications

• Documentary and media projects

• Educational projects

• Digital exhibitions and projects

• Historical and scholarly research

• Other appropriate institutional and cultural uses

High-quality reproductions may be licensed for approved projects. Original photographs, documents and artifacts may also be considered for temporary institutional loans when appropriate.

All arrangements are considered individually based on the project and proposed use.

Speaking & Programs

The photographs tell one part of the story. The family stories behind them bring the history to life.

As the family griot and steward of The Watson-Clark Family Collection, I am available for speaking engagements, museum and library programs, panel discussions, educational programs, interviews and other events centered on Black family history, preserving family stories, migration, genealogy and the importance of everyday photographs in documenting our history.

Presentations can incorporate photographs and stories from The Watson-Clark Family Collection and can be developed for museums, libraries, universities, historical organizations, conferences and community audiences.

Institutional, Licensing & Speaking Inquiries

If you are a curator, archivist, researcher, publisher, producer, educator, event organizer or other professional interested in The Watson-Clark Family Collection or a speaking engagement, I welcome the opportunity to discuss your project or program.

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