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Marvin (1910-2003) and Morgan Smith (1910-1993) were twin artists best known for photographing daily life in Harlem in the 1930's to the 1950's. Their photographs captured the effects of the Great Depression on the epicenter of African American art and life.

Marriage and Family
Marvin and Morgan met twin sisters Anna and Florence McLean. Both couples were married on the same day in 1936 and both couples divorced in 1939. Morgan was remarried in 1950 to Monica Mais and had one daughter, Monica Smith Bolden. Marvin Smith never remarried.

Early Career
The Smiths decided to commit themselves to the media of photography in 1937 and took free art classes taught by sculptor Augusta Savage. There they met numerous other influential artists including Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden. Morgan became the first staff photographer for New York Amsterdam News in 1937, the most popular Black newspaper at the time. Two years later they opened their own photography studio, M & M Smith Studios, next to the famed Apollo Theater. The twins were the theater's official photographers and through this job met influential models, artists and performers. Their studio became a hub of activity for entertainers and writers, as well as the location of the majority of their portrait photography. They photographed George Washington Carver and Billie Holiday, among other famous Black artists and politicians, as well as street life in Harlem during this time.

The Smiths photographed with the intention of showing the different facets of Black life. Along with capturing the Civil rights movement and anti-lynching demonstrations the brothers were among the first to capture the vibrant lives of Harlem residents.

World War II
During World War II the twins separated for the first time in their lives. Marvin served in the U.S. Navy while Morgan remained based in New York. Marvin was the first African American student to enroll at the Naval Air Station School of Photography and Motion Pictures while stationed in Pensacola, Florida. Morgan continued his work, photographing major news events and providing the pictures to a number of large Black newspapers throughout the country. He began working for a radical Harlem-based newspaper, The People's Voice in 1942, run by Adam Clayton Powell Jr. The paper received mixed reviews by the Harlem community for its criticism of the United States Government. In addition to his work at the newspaper, Morgan was offered numerous opportunities to photograph for other larger publications, but refused.

Post-World War II
In the 1950's the Smith's careers shifted from photography to film and television production, working as sound engineers and set decorators. Marvin studied with Romare Bearden and Fernand Léger in France after the end of World War II, while Morgan stayed in their New York studio. Morgan installed a sound studio and moved into recording popular orators and bands. He went on to work as a sound technician for ABC News. Marvin also worked in television until 1968 when they closed their studio, which had become a Harlem landmark. They retired from their television careers in 1975 at the age of 65.

Harlem: The Vision of Morgan and Marvin Smith
From December 1997 to March 1998 the Smiths held a photography exhibition titled, 'Harlem: The Vision of Morgan and Marvin Smith' at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.