Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith

Photographer Al Smith chronicled life during the mid-20th century, recording part of the city’s history captured nowhere else. In this virtual tour of Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith, Al’s son, Al “Butch” Smith, Jr. and the exhibit’s curator, Howard Giske, introduce you to Al, sharing memories and highlights from his rich collection of work.

See the city’s hopping 1940’s jazz scene as well as community celebrations and daily life centered in Al’s Central District neighborhood.

From 1937 to 1951, a thriving after-hours scene flourished along Jackson Street, from the International District to 14th Avenue South.

The district was particularly lively during World War II. Thousands of soldiers and wartime construction workers—many of them African American—flooded into the city. After work, they jammed clubs to socialize and catch a set by superb local musicians or some of the hottest players in jazz, who would often drop by while on tour.

With an ear for music and an eye for a bright moment, Al Smith started taking photographs on Jackson Street in 1940. Al is best known for capturing images of musicians and patrons alike in Seattle’s lively jazz scene. These compelling photographs provide a visual record of a chapter that otherwise might have been lost.

In additional photos, Al showcases Seattle city events.

MOHAI’s relationship with Al Smith goes back to 1986, when he began volunteering in the museum’s darkroom.

MOHAI created a small display of Al’s work in 1986 and a larger exhibit in 1995. In 2014, Al’s family donated his lifework of about 40,000 images to MOHAI.

Museum staff worked closely with the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, the Smith family, and many members of the community to organize, inventory, identify people and locations in the photographs, and collect oral histories connected to Al’s life and subject matter. The museum continues to work with the community to catalog, preserve, and interpret these photographs.

Al Smith on the SS President Grant, circa 1938, MOHAI, Al Smith Collection, 2014.49.094-005-05, Photo by Albert J. Smith, Sr.

Al Smith received his first camera as a gift at the age of twelve, sparking a lifelong passion for photography.

He fell in love with the art form as he began to capture images of the Central District communities he grew up in—both the close–knit West Indian immigrant community of his family and the diverse group of Irish, Italian, Japanese, and African American kids who were his childhood friends.

As a young man in the 1930s, Al traveled the world as a steward on steamships. In 1939, he returned to Seattle from his final voyage and brought with him a professional camera. As Al married and started to raise a family, he also began to explore his own city with the curiosity that had carried him across the world. He carried his camera wherever he went, capturing friends and family, meeting and gatherings, and the vibrant social life of the Central District in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s.

Al never stopped taking photographs. Later in life, he returned to the photos he took in his earlier days and began the process of organizing and sorting them. When Al Smith passed away in 2008, he left an unparalleled document of the city’s history.

Love what you see in the Seattle on the Spot exhibit? Large Al Smith photo reproductions are available for purchase at the MOHAI Store.

Simply follow the “Browse Al Smith Photo Collection” link below to view the collection. If you find a photo you want to order, please note the Image Number for when you place your order.