OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma History Center Museum will present “Faces of the Mother Road: The Lost Portraits of S.J. Tyler,” an exhibition of photographs by an Afton photographer whose glass-plate negatives were rediscovered in 2023.
Tyler operated a photography studio in Afton beginning in 1913, more than a decade before Route 66 was established. For nearly 40 years, he photographed the people who lived, worked and traveled through the northeastern Oklahoma town. Tyler’s portraits, created between 1913 and 1950, are a time capsule of everyday lives and the extraordinary diversity that flourished along Route 66.
Photo historian Adam Forgash developed “Faces of the Mother Road” after rediscovering Tyler’s negatives. The exhibition features portraits printed from the original glass-plate negatives and brings these forgotten faces back to Oklahoma.
“What makes these photographs so compelling is the detail and care Tyler put into each portrait”, said Dr. Michaela Wegman, curator at the Oklahoma History Center Museum. “Each photograph is an opportunity to look closely at the faces of real people who lived in Afton and traveled on Route 66.”
“Faces of the Mother Road” will open at the Oklahoma History Center Museum on Friday, October 16, and will remain on view through the end of April 2027.
The Oklahoma History Center Museum is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Dr. in Oklahoma City. It is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please call 405-522-0765 or visit okhistory.org/historycenter for admission costs and group rates.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications, the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit okhistory.org.