Robert H. McNeill (December 19, 1917 – May 27, 2005)[1] was an American photographer most noted for his documentation of African-American life. “In the 1930s and 40’s, any time there was a political, social, religious or community event in Washington’s black community, Robert H. McNeill was there to photograph it.”[2]
McNeill was born in Washington, D.C.: his father William C. McNeill was a physician and medical educator, and his mother Mary A. McNeill was a DC school teacher and member of the Board of Education. He discovered his interest in photography as a high school student at Dunbar High School, which produced a corps of black artists and intellectuals during the first half of the 20th century.[citation needed]