Rosalind Fox Solomon, a celebrated photographic artist, based in New York City, recently donated an original print to Picnooga/ChattanoogaHistorical Society of the Union Depot in Chattanooga, taken from a room in the Read House in 1971.
After failed attempts to save the historic depot, it was torn down in 1972.
The original train sheds were constructed in 1857-1859. The donated photograph shows the 1881 brick addition that faced Ninth Street.
Ms. Fox Solomon did a solo exhibition of Union Depot photographs at the University of Tennessee in 1972.
Born in 1930, Rosalind Fox Solomon’s work can be found in the collections of over 50 museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum, Museo deArte de Lima, Museum Folkwang, Essen; the Rijks Museum, Amsterdam, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
She graduated from Goucher College in Maryland. She then married Joel W. "Jay" Solomon and moved to Chattanooga and raised two children. In the 1980s, she captured haunting images of patients with AIDS. Her work has taken her across the Southern states and all over the world. She now lives in New York City.
At 90, Ms. Fox Solomon still photographs. In 2019, she was the recipient of the International Center of Photography Lifetime Achievement Award.
"It's a splendid gift for our organization and Chattanooga," said David Moon, president of the Chattanooga Historical Society. "And a welcomed asset to our collection. We're thankful for her thoughtfulness."
More information about Rosalind Fox Solomon can be found on her website at www.rosalindfoxsolomon.com.
Picnooga/Chattanooga Historical Society is at wwww.picnooga.org.