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Ancestor spirit Portraits

I Was Here features a set of emblematic Ancestor Spirit Portraits created by photographing contemporary African Americans as archetypal Ancestor Spirits. The portraits embody Family: mother, father, brother, sister. They form cohesive, ethereal images that convey the dignity of the African American individual and family–imagery that is mostly missing in America’s visual history.

There are no signatures on any of the pieces, only the thumbprints of the original models, artist, photographer, and writer. We are grateful to the open minds, open hearts, and the brilliant, far-reaching technologies that partner with us.

Click on each piece for a closer look.


Thank you to the visionaries at MadLabs for bringing the Ancestor Spirits to life.