“Brothers and Friends”
1965 Activist and Civil Rights leader, Congressman John Lewis and
Photojournalist Spider Martin at the Selma to Montgomery March
Photographic Exhibit in the Cannon Building Rotunda, Washington
D.C., February 1998.

"Spider Martin, more than any other photographer of our time, has used his camera to document the struggle for civil rights and social change in the State of Alabama... In viewing Spider's collection, one is literally walking through the pages of American History."
-Representative John Lewis, U.S. Congress, December 1996

"In Spider Martin's hands, the camera is a weapon of discovery, revealing truths long concealed by prejudice and mythology."
-Andrew Young 1992

"Spider, we could have marched, we could have protested forever, but if it weren't for guys like you, it would have been for nothing. The whole world saw your pictures. That's why the Voting Rights Act was passed."
-Martin Luther King, Jr., Birmingham, August 1965

Spider Martin was a man of justice known for his struggle against racism in Alabama and our nation. He died on April 8, 2003 leaving a legacy of photographs that documented and preserved some of the most defining moments in America’s Civil Rights History. The Spider Martin Civil Rights Collection remains well preserved in its entirety and represents one of the most historically significant collections of the era 1965-1968.

The photographs in the website licensing gallery are 44 images from The Spider Martin Civil Rights Collection exhibit "Selma To Montgomery ~ A March for the Right to Vote." They are just a small sampling of a portion of his entire collection that consist of approximately 2,640 negatives; prints; exhibits; and other related materials valued at 4 million dollars. It was Spider’s hope that one day his collection would help to forever “keep the dream alive” by being permanently housed in Washington D.C. at a major public institution.

Spider Martin’s photographs are truly a national treasure and should be preserved for all to see, so as to remember this critical period in American History.

Spider Martin in 1965

Born and raised in Alabama, artist and photojournalist Spider Martin photographed one of the most significant events in the history of Civil Rights in this country. His monumental work drew national attention to the quest for voting rights for African-Americans and preserved for all time the struggle and the glory of those involved.

But Mr. Martin was more than a witness; he was a participant, a continual presence in Selma and a marcher alongside others who made the four-day trek to Montgomery. In drawing national attention to the often violent events surrounding the march, Mr. Martin became a target of intimidation and violence himself.

His experiences only solidified his commitment to the movement and his admiration for those involved. For that reason, Mr. Martin has generously permitted the use of many of his photographs in exhibits and events honoring the Civil Rights Movement.

Portions of his collection were exhibited in the Cannon Rotunda in Washington, D.C. in honor of all who sacrificed in the historical Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery.

With their artist’s eye for composition and an historian’s sense of what’s important, his photos show the victory, backlash and irony of the movement. They expose humanity’s depths of fear and ignorance and the heights of courage and determination.

Most of all, they capture the true breadth of the Civil Rights Movement, from its breathtaking historical significance to the small stories of brave, ordinary individuals, black and white, whose simple acts of courage changed a nation.

Spider Martin died Tuesday, April 8, 2003 in Blount Springs, Alabama. All who knew him mourn the passing of a unique individual, one with strong views, an artist's eye and a sensitive soul.