A Photographic Artist: Morton B. Paine's Shots of Charleston

Event Details

Morton "Nicky" Brailsford Paine, Jr. photographed the people and events of Charleston for forty years. Arguably, one of the most dedicated photographers of the Holy City, Paine was interested in mechanics and new inventions and led the way in using modern scientific advancements.

He was a cross-country driver, a pilot, and one of the first amateurs to use a motion picture camera on the east coast. Always experimenting with speed, light, shadow, and later, color, Nicky Paine would record the history of the buildings, beaches and people of Charleston from 1900 to his death in 1940.

The images in this exhibit are part of the collection purchased by the Museum in 1941 from Nicky's sister, May Paine. Rescued from their 47 Meeting Street residence after a Category 2 hurricane flooded the basement three days before his death, they include glass plate negatives and prints.