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My friend Lois Haizlip recently shared some wonderful pictures with me for my upcoming books.

The pictures were taken in the late ’40s and early ’50s by Puolan Armstrong. His name and studio were stamped on the back of many of the pictures.

As she and I discussed the pictures, which were of groups of Southside people, we both got the feeling that Puolan was the first black photographer in our early community.

After visiting with Haizlip, I called my mother to ask her about a large color portrait of her hanging in my bedroom.

In the picture, my mother, Ruth Leach at the time, is posing in the beautiful gown she wore when crowned “Miss William Penn” in 1939.

My mother recalled going to a photo studio at 627 E. Washington St. to have the picture done. That address was a storefront at the Kilby Hotel, at East Washington and Hobson streets.

Many of you may remember some of the early businesses at that address, such as F.M. Boulware Shoe & Harness Maker (1927), F.S. Pemberton Grocery (1930), Blue Ribbon Taxi Service (1935), Ritz-Ann Beauty Salon (1940), Square Deal Barber Shop (1948) and Phifer’s Barber Shop (1958).

The photographer who took this beautiful portrait of my mother at 627 E. Washington St. was a mystery to be solved.

My mother thought it was Armstrong, but after looking through some old information, I discovered that Puolan wasn’t in High Point in 1938.

Then I remembered that most of my parents’ pictures from the ’30s and ’40s have the name of the photo studio that developed the pictures on the back.

So, I decided to examine the back of my mother’s portrait. No stamp. Then I remembered the small 3-by-4½-inch picture, used as reference for her larger color portrait, was in the family scrapbook. There it was spelled out in purple ink, “Dubose Studio, 627 E. Washington St., High Point, NC.” What a proof source.

Armed with that information, I headed to the Carolina Room at the public library to see what I might turn up regarding Dubose.

Turns out the only Dubose in the city directory at that time was black. That made the search easier. The City Directory for 1937 lists a Leo Dubose working as a janitor at Alderman Photo Co. and living at 1503 West St. The 1938 directory lists Leo Dubose as still working for Alderman Studio. One other Dubose was listed — Beulah Dubose, who was working as a cook. At this point, I knew Leo Dubose was my mystery photographer.

With this information, I decided to discuss my findings with James Powers, owner of Snow Studios on North Main Street. I told Powers the story, and we both came up with the following version of Dubose’s short-lived photo studio:

• Dubose rented the storefront at 627 E. Washington St.
• While working at Alder­man’s, Dubose probably developed an interest in photography, took pictures himself and developed them, or, he took them and had someone at Alderman’s develop them for him.

Powers felt that the color portrait of my mother was probably done by a trained artisan at Alderman’s. Leo Dubose’s son, Major Carl Dubose, tells me his father developed the skills to take pictures, develop negatives, and possibly did his own color work.

No matter, we now know that over the years Leo developed into a skilled photographer.

The story gets even more bizarre when I dig further and find a Razzie Dubose rooming with Albert McArthur at 207 Underhill Ave. — right next to my grandparents, who lived at 205. Razzie Dubose married Lincoln Sellers, and they lived at the same address after they married and later moved to Normal Street with their children Brenda, Leon and Calvin. We lived on the same street.

I talked with Brenda Sellers, who put me in touch with her aunt, Willie Ann Dubose Sellers, and her daughter, Gwen.

They already knew what most of us didn’t — that Leo Dubose was the first black photographer in High Point.

Our meeting produced a picture that Leo Dubose took of his sister, Willie Ann Dubose, in her William Penn High School prom gown and a picture of Leo Dubose himself. Gwen Sellers gave me the phone number for Leo Dubose’s son, now living in California, and suggested I contact him regarding his father.

Major Carl Dubose provided me with some good information. Leo Dubose’s full name was Major Leo Dubose, and he was born in Hartsville, S.C. He was about 49 when he died Aug. 8, 1963, and had no birth certificate recorded.

Major Carl Dubose said his father was a painter and interior decorator when he died. Even though Leo Dubose’s studio closed in 1939, he never lost his love for photography and continued his work from his home.

He was always taking and developing pictures, according to Willie Ann. Unfortunately, while living in the Florence area, a fire destroyed their house along with Leo Dubose’s collection of cameras and pictures. What a loss.

At this point I am declaring Leo Dubose to be High Point’s first black photographer. If anyone has facts that prove the black community had another black professional photographer before 1939, please contact me.

Check the back of your pictures, because you might have an original photo taken by Leo Dubose.

Slowly but surely we are piecing together High Point’s little- known black history.

As I have often said, we must stop repeating half-truths and unfounded stories regarding the black community, many of which have been embellished and repeated even though they have no factual foundation. If I make mistakes, I always make the necessary changes when the facts say differently. After all, shouldn’t that be the goal of documenting history?

Glenn Chavis researches and writes about High Point’s black history. Contact him at Storytime40@aol.com