A visual storyteller. A truth teller with a camera. But did Ernest Withers “sell his soul”? Known for his candid and often emotionally stirring photos of key events in the Civil Rights Movement, you’ve almost definitely seen Ernest Withers’ work whether you’ve realized it or not. Withers’ contribution to the photographic record of American history cannot be understated, making his betrayal as an FBI informant all the more painful and complicated. Director Phil Bertelsen’s documentary, The Picture Taker, tells the story of one Memphis man’s contradictory role in documenting, monitoring, and ultimately preserving a pivotal moment in American history.
Withers began his career as a photographer while serving in the military during World War Two. After a brief stint as a Memphis police officer, he opened a photography studio. “Pictures Tell The Story” was his slogan and throughout a decades-long career, Withers used photos to tell the story of Emmett Till’s murder trial, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.. His photos drew attention to Tennessee’s “Tent City” families – Black people evicted by white landlords for registering to vote. (He also photographed the subsequent wave of white, bleeding heart volunteers who felt compelled to help after seeing his photos.) But he also immortalized joyous moments in the city’s Black community, photographing baseball games and touring artists like James Brown or Ike and Tina Turner.
It wasn’t until after Withers died in 2007 that the FBI released documents revealing the “chronicler of our community,” Ernest Withers, was an FBI informant. Or as one interviewee in The Picture Taker puts it, “A paid snitch.” The FBI needed help with identifying people within the Civil Rights movement, so they recruited African-American informants like Withers to supposedly help fight communism and prevent violence within the Black community. Interviewees range from disappointed and hurt by Withers actions, to somewhat understanding, to downright defensive.
Most anyone with a basic understanding of American history will recognize the Black Panthers, but The Picture Taker introduces viewers to Memphis’ own radical, Black Power group: the Invaders. Named after a sci-fi television program, the Invaders were a “symbol of radicalism” in Memphis. Withers “monitored the Invaders very closely,” in charge of gauging the threat of violence for the FBI. The consequence of Withers’ double-crossing comes to a head during the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike.
Some interviewees in The Picture Taker contextualize Withers’ betrayal as an act of survival, doing what he had to do to get by in a segregated and racist country. One of Withers’ daughters claims he didn’t betray the Civil Rights Movement – he used his gift of photography to protect people. Regardless of this moral ambiguity, Withers’ photos, viewed by millions, changed hearts and brought awareness to the experience of Black people in America.
Does that absolve Withers of his wrongdoing as an alleged spy? Not necessarily, but Wither’s work as a photographer – though tainted – continues to tell valuable, vital stories decades later. From the 1960s through today, the events depicted in The Picture Taker, and photographed by Withers, resonate deeply and painfully.
The police brutality of 1968, documented and perhaps aided by Withers’ work, mirrors the disturbing events that propelled the Black Lives Matter movement in the 21st century. The Picture Taker does not provide viewers with easy answers to the ethical conundrum of whether a man’s good deeds outshine the bad, or whether the hurt he causes overshadows the good.
What kind of film collection would The Picture Taker be suitable for?
The Picture Taker belongs in any documentary film collection, though especially those specializing in American history and art history.
What type of classroom would this documentary resource, The Picture Taker, be suitable for?
American history, journalism, and ethics classes could use The Picture Taker as an educational resource. The documentary covers the Civil Rights Movement – and who is telling the story of it – from a unique, challenging perspective that will surely result in interesting classroom conversations about community, integrity, racism, responsibility, survival, and legacy.
What type of library programming could use The Picture Taker?
The Picture Taker would fit in a screening series for Black History Month in February, but could also fit alongside documentaries about fellow photographers, such as All the Beauty and the Bloodshed or Finding Vivian Maier.