P.H. Polk, born Prentice Herman Polk, was an American photographer born in 1898 in Bessemer, Alabama. Polk’s photography shined a spotlight on the narratives of African Americans around Tuskegee, Alabama during the early to mid 20th century. He attended the illustrious Tuskegee University (formerly known as Tuskegee Institute).

With the intentions of becoming a painter "like Van Gogh or Rembrandt", P.H. Polk enrolled at Tuskegee University in 1916. While there he met C.M. Battey, Tuskegee’s photography department director, who spoke to students about the future of photography as a career field. Polk then switched focus to photography as his primary medium, and in 1917 became the very first student to enroll in Tuskegee’s new photography department.

In 1924, Polk relocated to Chicago where he would continue his studies with Fred A. Jensen, a white photographer. Following the birth of his son in 1926, P.H. Polk returned to Tuskegee in 1927 to open an in-home photography studio. His mentor C.M. Battey passed away later that year, and Polk joined the faculty at Tuskegee and later went on to become the head of the photography department. He served as the official photographer of Tuskegee University for over 40 years. During Polk's time at Tuskegee, he photographed Dr. Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, George Washington Carver, Langston Hughes, four of the school's presidents, and was responsible for the 1941 photograph of Eleanor Roosevelt and civilian pilot Charles Alfred Anderson that later inspired the deployment of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. 

Polk's work showed how the depiction of African Americans in the 20th century could influence their real lives and opportunities in society. His photography served as important documentation during the Civil Rights Movement as well as true social commentary on the times. His subjects ranged from African American leaders, educators, and politicians to working class and formerly enslaved Alabamans. The main goal of each of Polk’s photographs was to highlight the subject’s dignity. His photos captured their sense of humanity and allowed them to have power in the images that were taken of them -- there is strong eye contact between the subject and camera that communicates a non-verbal "I see you". A conversation is had between the viewer and the person posing. 

A visual account of American history, Polk’s photographs have been treasured in exhibitions and collections of museums around the country. His work has been displayed at the Museum of Natural History in New York, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC, The Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia and the Studio Museum of Harlem, as well as featured in the collections of Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture as well as their American Art Museum.