J. C. Coovert Cirkut Photograph Collection

J. C. Coovert was one of the most respected photographers in Memphis, and was hired by everyone from the police department to Hollywood director King Vidor because of his photographic skills and creativity. His photographs circulated internationally and showed that the Delta region was more complex and of interest to many worldwide. In the two photos that make this collection, J. C. Coovert created fantastic worlds, in this case, the plantation as he imagined it. Using a Cirkut camera (full rotation panoramic camera), Coovert shot a scene of cotton fields ready for harvest. The original Cirkut titled, "King Cotton" was copyrighted in 1907 (Library of Congress has the photographic print (gelatin silver, 10 x 36.5 in.). First, Coovert took a panoramic photograph of the plantation as it actually existed with the foreman, the disheveled house, and wagons hauling in the crop. Then Coovert inserted people, more wagons, and houses from other pictures. He created a universe from his imagination that drew on a lifetime of immersion in the Delta. He was still working at the peak of his abilities at the age of 50 -- also the peak of the Delta's prosperity. When Coovert began his career, it was not easy to go out of the studio and make pictures in nature. Because of the technology Coovert used, he had to create a world without motion. But despite these limitations, he arranged dramatic, arresting scenes. Cotton was king in Coovert's universe. Although he created these collages in the 1920s, Coovert drew his images from the turn of the century. Coovert created images of the world of "white gold" that satisfied his customers, especially those who made their living from King Cotton.