The American Flag

This volume coincides with the 10th anniversary of the opening of the NMAAHC and celebrations surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago. It illustrates how the American flag carries multiple meanings across generations. From soldiers saving Old Glory and veterans’ families holding tight a memorial banner, to political activists, sports figures, and everyday Americans waving the Stars and Stripes, African Americans have made the flag their own. While some images celebrate the patriotism and the pride of national identities, others speak to the complex histories of America and the paradox of liberty.

 The book presents photographs that date from the Civil War to the present day and shows work by celebrated photographers including Anthony Barboza, James Karales, Gordon Parks, Platon, and Maurice Sorrell alongside contemporary images by Sheila Pree Bright, Lola Flash, Zun Lee, Michael McCoy, Rashod Taylor, and others.

Essay by Aaron Bryant

Foreword by the editors Michèle Gates Moresi and Laura Coyle

Aaron Bryant is curator of photography, visual anthropology, and contemporary history at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Laura Coyle is assistant director for collection cataloguing and digitization at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Michèle Gates Moresi is assistant director of collections at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Double Exposure is a dynamic series based on the notable photography collection supporting the Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

Table of contents

• Foreword by Laura Coyle and Michèle Gates Moresi
• Say Can You See…What We Sometimes Have Been by Aaron Bryant
• Plates
• Index