As one of the oldest historically black college campuses in America, Hampton University (formerly Hampton Institute) has hosted many of the most important African American intellectuals, statesmen, and artists of modern times. Witnessing it all has been Reuben Burrell, who has served as campus photographer since 1949. A self-taught photographer, Burrell is a master craftsman, known for the sensitivity of his lens and the quality of his prints. On campus he is known as the griot, a West African term that encompasses both historian and poet.

This volume collects many of the best...