He was always a photographer.
He was an artist.
It was like you were engaged in what was happening
at that particular moment, that he would take the photographs.
What he covered was happy.
You know, he showed people enjoying themselves.
And when you look at his pictures, for me, you feel that.
And so when I want to feel good, I look at some of his pictures
because it is it's a nice escape.
A great photographer always finds a way to be
in just the right spot at just the right moment.
And that was Al Smith Sr.
He knew when to snap that shot.
People are having a great time.
He was tuned in to capturing those moments that brought us joy.
Absolute joy.
I feel like,
wow, I wish I had been alive to be around that scene.
That would have been pretty cool.
You can just feel the audience.
That's, to me, a very energetic photograph.
If anyone has a greater appreciation
for Al Smith's work, it would be his son, Al Smith Jr.
Or Butch to those who know him.
Butch says his dad took so many pictures
because he truly cared about his Central Area community.
He never would refer to himself
as a historian, but that's what he was.
The nightclub ones are sort of the glamour
end of things, the concert shots and so on.
But his day to day work in the community,
those are much appreciated.
It's different when you have a photograph.
It gives a whole another dimension.
He took photographs of birthday parties,
weddings, oh you name it.
He was capturing things he thought should be captured.
He didn't just photograph Black people, you know, he
photographed Chinese, Japanese, Filipino. - In the Central District.
In those days, it was just a melting pot and a mix of all kinds of people.
That was a very special time in Seattle history.
How lucky are we to have somebody who documents the history
of a community that otherwise may not have been documented at all?
It's an opportunity to time travel and see how
vital and interesting their lives were at that time.
If it were not for the Smith Collection,
there'd be a huge void for us in terms of documenting.
Over the decades, the Central District.
Redlining limited
where Black people could own homes in Seattle.
That was the Central District.
But gentrification has now forced them out.
Also gone,
much of the rich culture and soul of that community,
it's just really important to have the history there so people don't
think, well, yeah, a lot of Black people used to live here and now they don't.
I realize the historical significance
and I don't want those pictures to just sit.
But this is old.
So Butch,
with the help of the Black
Heritage Society and the Museum of History and Industry,
are making a concerted effort to get Al Smith Sr.’s images out there
as a way of connecting the present to the past.
Look at those dresses.
I know.
Yeah.
It helps to ground you.
And when you're grounded and feeling connected,
I think that that sense of community is more conducive
to building neighborhoods and the character of neighborhoods.
Recently we were having a discussion about how character matters in our community.
And when we see these images and these photographs
that that capture of that character, it just reinforces it.
It's a great
way to memorialize
what the Central District used to be.
Smith's photos are so captivating,
they were featured in a 2022 memory study called SHARP
Sharing History through Active Reminiscence and Photo-Imagery.
It brought together the City's Aging and Disability Services
and the University of Washington.
Seniors with early
Alzheimer's or dementia walked the neighborhoods of their youth
using some of Smith's pictures to jog memories and discussions.
One particular photo consistently got a huge response.
That was the photo of the parade.
It was the big Cadillac with the Esquire on the side
and somebody waving in the crowd.
There was a lot of “I remember that!”
When people can see these images and these photographs, it's defining.
It gives you a sense of place about where you live or where you came from.
It allowed these Black elders to be seen in places
where they hadn't been seen in a long time.
You know,
there are just a lot of great discussions and memories and a lot of laughter.
You know, he carried his camera everywhere. The Black Heritage Society
and the Smith family continue to push for Al Smith Sr.'s photos
to be prominently displayed in new Seattle buildings,
as well as long standing community landmarks.
All this to honor one man's lifetime
hobby and transform it into a lasting legacy.
He would
appreciate it, but it's not something he expected.
He said I wasn't doing anything special.
I was just taking pictures.
He meant that.
He was just surprised nobody else was.
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