Charles Moore – Civil Rights Photographer 1931-2010

by Peter Zack

Charles Moore was the only one to capture the arrest of
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Charles Moore, who may be best known for his photographs taken during Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights struggles, passed away on March 11th in Florida at the age of 79. Born in 1931 in Hackleburg, Alabama, he rose to fame after taking the only photo of 2 police officers arresting Martin Luther King in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1958. The photos of the incident were carried by The Associated Press, and LIFE magazine published one of them.

Andy Warhol Red Race Riot screen print

Andy Warhol’s screen prints were inspired by Moore’s photos of police dogs attacking demonstrators in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963; probably the most recognized photos of Moore’s long career. U.S. Senator Jacob Javits and the historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., said that Moore’s pictures “helped to spur passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964″. [1]

One of his shots was chosen as one of LIFE magazine’s 100 Photographs That Changed the World [2]. It has been said that he helped bring the 1960′s civil rights movement to the rest of the world and hastened change in some respect.

After high school and three years service in the Marines, Moore completed his formal photography training at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was known for taking chances by using short lenses much of the time and getting in close to the events around him. He often appeared in the pictures of other photographers who were standing back. [3]

Birmingham 1963

Moore also covered events during the Dominican Republic civil war, uprisings in Venezuela and Haiti, and Vietnam for LIFE magazine, Fortune Magazine and The Saturday Evening Post. Moore published a book of civil rights photography called Powerful Days, recently reprinted in 2007.

–Peter Zack

[1] Wikipedia
[2] A Tribute to Charles Moore
[3] New York Times

Note: Links in this article might be to one of our affiliate stores. Purchases made from our affiliates through these links will benefit Enticing the Light at no extra cost to you.

Did you like this article? Share it with the World!