More than 15,000 photographic negatives and prints taken by Columbus photographer Carl Brown were recently donated to the Local History Department at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library.
The images, dating roughly from the 1950s to the 1980s, cover a wide variety of subjects including weddings, family portraits, events, businesses and people.
Archivist Mona Vance-Ali said, “Brown’s lens captured milestones in people’s lives over multiple decades. His collection is significant because it represents a snapshot of mid to late 20th century life in Columbus and the surrounding area.”
The collection was donated by Sam Laffoon, owner of The Grapevine in Columbus, where the collection was housed for more than five years. Laffoon donated the collection in memory of his late wife, Kittie C. Laffoon.
The processing of the photographs will be a lengthy undertaking due to the abundant size of the collection.
The library is accepting monetary donations to go toward the preservation of this collection. Checks should be made out to the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System.
Carl Eugene Brown was born in Bentonia in 1918. After moving to Columbus in 1929, he graduated from S.D. Lee High School and was a veteran of World War II, having served in the United States Army. He owned and operated Carl Brown’s Studio located at 218 Fifth St. N. for more than 30 years. Brown was also very active in the community as a member of the Columbus School Board and founder of Boy Scout Troop 3 at First Baptist Church. He passed away in 1998.
For more information, contact Vance-Ali at 662-329-5304 or at [email protected].
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