Cornelius Marion Battey

Cornelius Marion Battey (August 26, 1873 – March 14, 1927) was an American photographer who shot photographic portraits of black Americans in a pictorialist style. His photograph of black leaders appeared on the cover of the NAACP's magazine The Crisis beginning in the 1910s. He later founded and headed up the photography department at the Tuskegee Institute.

Cover photo for 1920 issue of The Crisis, shot by C.M. Battey.

Early years Cornelius Marion Battey was born on August 26, 1873, in Augusta, Georgia, but was raised in the North. His first job in photography was in a studio in Cleveland, Ohio. He moved to Manhattan, New York City, and worked for six years in the Bradley Photographic Studio on Fifth Avenue, where he held the position of superintendent. He went on to work at Underwood & Underwood, one of the city's successful early 20th century photo studios, where he headed up the retouching department.