Rory Doyle won the 2019 ZEISS Photography Award for his series "Delta Hill Riders" which documents African American cowboys and cowgirls in the Mississippi Delta. The series sheds light on this overlooked subculture that has resisted historical and present-day stereotypes, as it was estimated that one in four cowboys after the Civil War were African American but they were underrepresented in popular accounts. The award recognized Doyle for bringing attention to this subculture through his photo documentation.
3. Winner; Delta Hill Riders by Rory Doyle
Series description
It’s estimated that just after the Civil War, one in four cowboys
were African American. Yet this population was drastically
underrepresented in popular accounts. And it is still. The ‘cowboy’
identity retains a strong presence in many contemporary black
communities. My ongoing project about African American cowboys
and cowgirls in the Mississippi Delta sheds light on an overlooked
subculture - one that resists historical and present-day stereotypes.