I was one of several distinguished guests (Rhiannon Giddens!?!?) for a recent episode of ABC’s ‘The History Listen’ podcast with Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe. You can find the podcast here or wherever you usually get them.
As I relate in the podcast when I was doing research as a Fulbright scholar on American entertainers in New Zealand, a reference librarian mentioned a then unidentified image from a recently cataloged collection that I might want to check out. William Williams was a resident of Napier in the late nineteenth century that had two hobbies, photography and the banjo. His negatives ended up at the National Library and the intersection of hobbies led to this wonderful images, which depicts the African American musician Hosea Easton on the steps of Williams’ home, circa 1888. How and why he is there is an incredible and important story so thanks to everyone involved in this fantastic podcast!
