By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
“The Daily Hustle” exhibit is now showing at the Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI), located at 1415 Key Highway in Baltimore. The exhibit, which will run through February 2026, spotlights the striking photographs of I. Henry Phillips Sr., the late longtime AFRO photographer.
Through his work, visitors to the exhibit are able to get a glimpse into the lives of the Black laborers and business owners who called Baltimore home during the mid-20th century.
The exhibit is curated by Phillips’s grandson, Webster Phillips III, and places an emphasis on style, labor and entrepreneurship in Black neighborhoods, often overshadowed by negative narratives of poverty and crime. The exhibit aims to elevate the stories of ordinary people and business in Baltimore.
Webster Phillips III says the idea for the exhibit began when a friend put postcards he had created with his grandfather’s photos up online. This sparked the interest of someone at T. Rowe Price. That interest led to an initial show of I. Henry Phillips Sr.’s business-themed photos in their Baltimore Co Lab, a space where entrepreneurs and small business owners can start or build their business and financial goals.
“It was there for almost three years,” said Phillips, who curated the piece. “Then it moved to Charm City Cultural Conservation on Greenmount Avenue.”
After an appearance at a local flea market, Webster Phillips III connected with BMI, inevitably making way for “The Daily Hustle.”
Webster Phillips III told the AFRO the shows amplify the impact of Black laborers and business owners on the local economy.
“We started to do shows with themes, where we could open up larger conversations and bring in experts on the subjects, and bring in resources for the community,” he said.
The temporary “Daily Hustle” exhibit pairs well with the permanent AFRO News exhibit installed at BMI in the Print Shop. There, visitors can learn about how the 133-year-old publication was put together letter by letter, line by line in the linotype era.
Benjamin “Ben” Phillips IV, president of the AFRO, expressed his excitement at another exhibit recognizing the work of his late uncle, I. Henry Phillips Sr., and the work of his family to keep the legacy alive.
Benjamin Phillips IV was trained under his uncle in photography at the AFRO alongside four others, often shadowing him on the weekends, learning how he engaged in the community, and took photos with names for the AFRO Archives.
“It took a special skill to make sure that you could capture all the hues of folks of color,” said Phillips. “You could have a lighter complexion and still come out on a photo dark as can be. He developed a lot of the process of that and made sure that in large groups of folks, you’re able to see them as they were.”
Beth Maloney, director of curatorial affairs at BMI, said it was important to bring the exhibit to the museum.
“I really wanted to be able to host the show here, in part because we are all about the history of working people in Baltimore,” said Maloney, director of curatorial affairs at BMI. “Many of the images resonated with our existing galleries.”
“Photography is a powerful way to connect with the past,” said Maloney. “You see real people, real situations and there is so much story-telling within photography.”
Maloney shared what she hopes visitors of the exhibit will take away from the experience.
“History is not just about big themes or anonymous folks, but real people, who you can feel connected to, who have real personal and important experiences, that together can braid this bigger narrative about the past,” said Maloney. “I also really want to make sure that our visitors are getting a full, rich understanding of the history of Baltimore, which includes the experience of Black business owners in the Black community here.”
Webster Phillips III and Maloney confirmed that they are expecting to host a panel discussion with experts and resources available for the community in October. Further information about the event will be available on the website.
In the long-run, Webster Phillips III –who oversees the archives of his grandfather’s photos–has big plans for his grandfather’s work and legacy.
“I would like to have the archive to be a resource for educators, but also an open resource,” said Phillips, recognizing that many archives are hard for the average person to access.
He hopes the photos will help support educators in the stories they want to tell, providing a true image of history rather than leaving them to visually imagine that time period.
How Beautiful to hear his grandson Narrate his grandfather’s narrative! I know he is looking down smiling. https://ihenryphoto.com