The State Historical Society of Missouri invites the public to attend the free opening reception and book launch event for its new exhibition Mail Carrier with a Camera: Photographs of Burford Royston, Saturday, July 12, 10-noon, at the SHSMO Center for Missouri Studies, 605 Elm St., Columbia. Seventy-five photographs were selected from over 800 slides, mostly taken in the 1950s by Burford Royston, a longtime mail carrier in Howard County who photographed the people and places along his route. The photographs donated to SHSMO by Royston’s family are included in a new book and an exhibition of the same title at the William Guitar Little Missouri Gallery of Art inside the State Historical Society headquarters.
This new book published by the State Historical Society features 107 of Royston’s photos, printed from his original slides. Dr. Joan Stack, the State Historical Society of Missouri’s art curator, provides commentary on the photos, while SHSMO editor and Missouri historian Kimberly Harper offers an Introduction. International award-winning photographer, 2023 Guggenheim Fellow, and Missouri resident Deanna Dikeman contributes the book’s Foreword.
“Burford Royston’s photos captured everyday life in rural Howard County with wit and poignancy. His images, taken along his mail route depict relationships among friends, family, and neighbors as he documented working farms, back roads, small towns, and the lives of ordinary Missourians,” said Stack. “Royston’s subtle and candid observations of mid-century settings transcend time and offer us a glimpse into the vibrant communities he photographed.”
Mail Carrier with a Camera: Photographs by Burford Royston will be available for purchase at the Richard Bookstore inside the State Historical Society of Missouri and online shop.shsmo.org beginning July 12. The free exhibition of Royston’s photographs is open to the public in the art gallery at the State Historical Society through September during regular visitor hours. The book and exhibition also marks the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service. In 1775, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General.