Winter 1995, Issue 35

Article Abstracts and Supplements

Revelations: Alabama's Visionary Folk Artists
by Kathy Kemp; photographs by Keith Boyer; introduction by Gail Trechsel

During the 1970s, public interest in painting and sculpture by artists who had not been trained formally began to grow, with an enthusiastic audience enjoying these works in museums and galleries as well as on album covers, T-shirts, and at folk festivals. Alabama's part of this folk art is rich, as Gail Trechsel's introduction notes the rural and religious influences of life in this state. Accompanied by stunning photographs of the artists' work, Kathy Kemp writes profiles of two of Alabama's most noted visionary folk artists, painter Woodie Long from Andalusia, and painter/sculptor Lonnie Bradley Holley from Birmingham.



King Cotton in Alabama: A Brief History
by Thomas W. OliverFor 130 years, Alabama was a leading producer of cotton, with pioneers rushing to the state in search of riches they hoped the plant would provide. Cotton did produce much wealth, ascending to the throne of Southern agriculture. But the crop was hard on the soil and harder on the people who worked with it, as Oliver's article notes the rise and fall of King Cotton in Alabama from the 1830s to the 1960s. Dealing with cultural changes, technological advancements and the infamous boll weevil, cotton production has changed drastically, and though cotton now represents only a small fraction of the state's economy, the author describes how Alabama still holds a position of great importance in the cotton industry.



Sentimental and Memorial Jewelry
by Marion Ruth Yount SamsDuring the nineteenth century, it was common practice to ask a friend or loved one for a lock of hair or to give them one of your own as a keepsake. Often, this hair was boiled, weighted, glued, spun, woven, plaited, knitted, and crocheted into a dizzying variety of shapes and designs, and placed in jewelry designed specifically for this purpose. This article tells of the centuries-long history of this type of jewelry: sentimental jewelry, containing the hair of a living person, and memorial jewelry, containing the hair of someone deceased. With detailed photographs, the author notes the story and value of these pieces, including the personal link they represent: a loving relationship between two people who lived a century or more ago.



From Plantation to Hacienda: The Mexican Colonization Movement in Alabama
by Karl JacobyA man named "Peg Leg" Williams began recruiting African Americans in central Alabama in 1895 to move to Mexico for the establishment of a colony. The promises of rich and fertile soil, economic prosperity, and equal rights to all inspired several hundred Tuscaloosa citizens to make the move to the northern Mexican state of Durango. Once there, the hopeful new life proved elusive, as author Karl Jacoby describes the poverty, ill-treatment at the hands of Mexican overseers, and poor living conditions encountered by the colonists. This article relates an interesting aspect of Nineteenth-century black migration, one which proved fruitless and fatal to many.



DEPARTMENTS

REPORT FROM THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION - "A Future for the Past" by F. Lawerence Oaks

SOUTHERN ARCHITECTURE AND PRESERVATION - "Gulf Coast Lighthouses" by David M. Smithweck and Mindy Wilson

THE NATURE JOURNAL - "Giant Swallowtails (And Metamorphosis)" by L. J. Davenport

AT THE ARCHIVES - "Early Photographs From the Collection" by Tanya L. Zanish

NOTES AND QUERIES