Mayoral
Mayor of Walsall visits Leather Museum to mark Black History Month
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Mayor of Walsall Councillor Rose Martin paid a visit to Walsall Leather Museum’s ‘From City of Empire to City of Diversity’ exhibition on Wednesday 26 October to mark Black History Month.
The exhibition opened at Walsall Leather Museum on 6 September 2022, running until 31 October 2022, and features beautiful images from the important Dyche Collection. The collection documents post -1945 migration to the region and the huge contribution made by those who settled in Birmingham from the Commonwealth.
“ I am delighted to have been invited to the Leather Museum to view the ‘From City of Empire to City of Diversity’ collection during Black History month. I am proud of the diversity in our region and it’s so important that we highlight and celebrate it, not just during Black History Month, but at all times.
The exhibition is a stunning collection of images that capture the story of Commonwealth migration, recording an important phase in Birmingham’s history. Looking through the images and learning about the history behind them has been incredibly interesting and eye opening and I want to thank the staff at Walsall Leather Museum for inviting me along. “
From City Of Empire to City Of Diversity: A Visual Journey officially launched in October 2020 as part of Black History Month.
The Dyche Collection features photographs by self-taught photographer Ernest Dyche and his son Malcolm, who had two studios in the city and produced individual, group, family and wedding portraits. In the 1950s, the portrait work shifted its focus to the first wave of migrants arriving in Birmingham from Africa, the Caribbean and Indian sub-continent. For over 25 years, many visitors to his main studio would have portraits made to send back to friends and family in their home countries – inadvertently capturing the story of Commonwealth migration.
To highlight the reality of life for immigrants from the Commonwealth countries making a new life in the city, From City Of Empire To City Of Diversity: A Visual Journey uses the Dyche collection and draws upon other collections held by Birmingham Archives, notably Benjamin Stone, Helen Caddick, Paul Hill, Nick Hedges, Vanley Burke and George Hallet.
For more information about Walsall Leather Museum’s upcoming events, click here.
