Faces of the Mother Road: The Lost Portraits of S.J. Tyler
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News 6 Tulsa Interview
Press Release
Lost Portraits of Afton Photographer S.J. Tyler Return to Oklahoma
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 forty 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. Each photograph is an opportunity to look closely at the faces of real people who lived in Afton and traveled on Route 66." — Dr. Michaela Wegman, Curator, Oklahoma History Center Museum
Faces of the Mother Road will open at the Oklahoma History Center Museum on October 16 and will remain on view through the end of April 2027.
Photo Gallery
The story of the lost glass negatives
Faces of the Mother Road is brought to you by photographic history specialist, Adam Forgash, 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 Adam. 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.
If you would like to get involved or have any questions about this traveling show, please contact Adam at 917-273-1887 VM or Text or email aofphoto@mac.com
Opening night in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Rt.66 Centennial
Collect a Piece of History
To purchase a limited edition 8×10, 11×14, or 16×20" gelatin-silver darkroom photograph of any of S.J. Tyler's portraits, please contact me.
Coming soon — Orotone / Goldtones made using the same methods Edward Curtis used in the early 1900s, made from Tyler's original negatives.
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