Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad

by Jeanine Michna-Bales (Photographer)

They left in the middle of the night—often carrying little more than the knowledge to follow the North Star. Between 1830 and the end of the Civil War in 1865, an estimated one hundred thousand slaves became passengers on the Underground Railroad, a journey of untold hardship, in search of freedom.

In Through Darkness to Photographs Along the Underground Railroad , Jeanine Michna-Bales presents a remarkable series of images following a route from the cotton plantations of central Louisiana, through the cypress swamps of Mississippi and the plains of Indiana, north to the Canadian border— a path of nearly fourteen hundred miles. The culmination of a ten-year research quest, Through Darkness to Light imagines a journey along the Underground Railroad as it might have appeared to any freedom seeker.

Framing the powerful visual narrative is an introduction by Michna-Bales; a foreword by noted politician, pastor, and civil rights activist Andrew J. Young; and essays by Fergus M. Bordewich, Robert F. Darden, and Eric R. Jackson.

Genres: Photography, History, African American

192 pages, Hardcover

Published March 28, 2017

Reviews

[Ryan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s remarkable about this book is not the nighttime photography on its own, nor the text on its own. It’s not even the combination of the two. What’s remarkable is how the images, text and book design create an immersive experience that allows the reader to imagine just a small part of what the arduous, dangerous, long and petrifying journey to the north may have been like for fugitive slaves. I know that nothing can replicate the terror that must have been part of fleeing. But this book replicates the darkness and hiddenness that was critical to the journey.

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just an incredible book. If I won the lottery, I would buy this book for every school library in the US and Canada. The photos are beautiful, eerie, chilling but almost spiritual at the same time. The quotes and background information tell the story of the Underground Railroad in a beautiful, evocative way.

[M]

The photos are wonderful: evocative and provocative. Made me thing of the escape from slavery in a new light, not only from the danger of capture but the danger of the actual journey in darkness, strange country, weather and the elements, and difficult terrain.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This project is extremely moving and justifies the whole genre of “photo essay” on its own, though the introductory historical writings were very welcome.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was fortunate to see an exhibit of some of Michna-Bales' photos at the West Baton Rouge Museum recently. They were breathtaking (even if the museum's lighting isn't art-gallery quality). The book is also breathtaking.























































































I was blessed to recently view an exhibit of some of the pieces from Michna-Bales' research compiled from a trek of 1400 miles taken over a period of 14 years - exquisite photographs shot on moonlit nights from central Louisiana to Ontario, Canada. The experience of holding this book in my lap and seeing all of the photographs was extraordinary. It made real that trek to freedom...through the dark nights, guided by stars to a beacon of light that might mean 'safety'. The brief introductory materials were a worthy complement to the photos.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to see this photography collection when it was on exhibit at a community art center and was absolutely blown away. I knew about the Underground Railroad of course, but had never experienced it so viscerally. It is one of the most moving works of art I have seen. So glad it has been made into a book.

The images follow the route of the Underground Railroad from Louisiana to Canada, along with the words of spirituals and of those who escaped. The photographs are taken in the deep of night, with the swamplands, forests, plantations and starry skies of the South barely visible. You feel the fear and weight and danger of the journey, and the final joy of crossing the Canadian border into the light.

[Star Shining Forever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sobering and thoughtful pictures of plantations and people’s refuge houses along the Underground Railroad, along with landscapes and macros of forests, rivers, and natural landmarks escaping slaves would have passed on their journey to Canada.

The night photography lends a somber and haunting air to the project which explores what it must have been like to flee for your life in the darkness simply because of the color of your skin.

It’s interspersed with quotes from both slaves and slavers, and there’s a bit of history as well.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving photo narrative of the Underground Railroad and the multicultural community it embodied. The photos, taken at dusk and night, bring the viewer onto the paths of fearful and brave enslaved people.

[Ellora Lawhorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning visual perspective. Haunting and thought provoking photographic journey with intermittent quotes and prefaced with well-researched historical essays.

[Rida Rehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunting yet hopeful. This book greatly added to my general knowledge of Underground Railroad

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book! Seeing the "railroad" through the eyes of those that traveled it was truly eye-opening, and the forewards unveiled myths that I had long thought were truths. A great read and visual experience! I highly recommend!