Oraien Catledge
Oraien Catledge (1928–2015) was a self-taught, visually-impaired photographer. Born in Mississippi, Catledge relocated to Georgia's capital for a job at the American Foundation for the Blind, but, at the age of 51, discovered the irresistible lure of a Leica camera. He used his newfound passion to document the daily goings-on of Cabbagetown, a mill town in the heart of Atlanta. The black-and-white images he made over the span of nearly two decades depict quotidian scenes of a working-class neighborhood and the folks who inhabited it. He was awarded the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for his photographic works in 2011.
Of Catledge, the late Mary Ellen Mark noted that, "[he] surely loves what he does and loves the people he photographs. He sees all humanity in his own clear, honest, and beautiful way."