Faces of the Mother Road: The Lost Portraits of S.J. Tyler

Produced by photographic historian, Adam Forgash, in association of the Route 66 Alliance, noted author and historian Michael Wallis and the Rt 66 Association, this exhibition bridges art, history and cultural identity by telling America’s story through an Oklahoma photographer’s forgotten lens.

In 1913, photographer S.J. Tyler opened a small studio in Afton, Oklahoma, long before the world knew the name Route 66. For three decades, he captured everyday people who lived, worked and traveled this historic corridor.

Tyler’s portraits were taken on fragile glass plates between 1913 and 1949, then forgotten for nearly a century… until their rediscovery in 2023 by Forgash. The images are more than photographs – they are a time capsule of early America.

Tyler photographed white, Native American, Black and Latino subjects alike, honoring each with the same dignity and care in an era when that was rare. These extraordinary portraits are being brought back to life for the first time – where they belong on Route 66, The Mother Road in Tulsa.

This exhibit runs Friday, Jan. 2–Saturday, Feb. 28, at UTulsa’s 101 Archer in the South Gallery. Our galleries are open Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon until 5 p.m. Special closures for private events will be announced on our social media pages. As always, admission is free.