Photograph of Karen Harker wearing a Hawaiian shirt and multicolored lei, seated at a table during the 2014 Willis Library convocation. Coby Condrey is visible sitting behind her.

Photograph of the attendees of the Byrd Williams lecture, seated during the talk. Some have notebooks in their laps or laptops, likely for notes. Williams is out of frame.

Photograph of the Byrd Williams lecture attendees looking at displays from the "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" exhibit. They were housed in the Special Collections room in Willis Library.

Photograph of one of the informational banners that was hung in the Special Collections room while the exhibit "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" was housed there. It reads "Byrd Williams Photography; Byrd Photo; Byrd Williams III worked for Kodak and several other photography companies in addition to being involved in lens manufacturing prior to starting his business in Fort Worth. Through these jobs he gained the skill necessary to launch Byrd Photo which also included a portrait studio and photo lab. Studio work included work for a wide variety of clients including the city crime lab, architects, and magazines. Customers could have a photography painted over in oils, giving it the appearance of a painting - or oil paintings, based on these photographs.; Proof: Photographs from Four Generations of a Texas Family; Customers who came to Byrd Photo to have their portrait made would invariably be presented with a proof -- a photo print they could see before they placed their order for additional photographs. The Williams Collection is filled with photo proofs like these, but it's filled with proof of another kind as well-- proof of four lives spent in an unceasing attempt to capture our world, …

Photograph of UNT library staff members serving themselves from a buffet at the Willis Library convocation event held at the University of North Texas (UNT) library.

Photograph of photographer Byrd Williams IV at the presentation of his Special Collections exhibit. He appears to be turned around in his chair and facing the attendees.

Photograph of Byrd Williams standing at the front of a conference room giving a lecture about a book called PROOF. The book was the subject of an exhibit held with the help of the UNT Special Collections. Pictured on the screen behind Williams is the book.

Photograph of Byrd Williams (blue blazer) speaking to some of the Proof exhibit attendees. Williams is turned around in his chair in order to speak to them.

Photograph of Byrd Williams (center) with two attendees of the "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" exhibit reception. The one on the left is holding a gift bag and a jacket.

Photograph of a banner displayed at the "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive". On it are images of each Byrd Williams next to names and a synopsis of their life. The banner reads "Byrd Williams Timeline; Byrd Moore Williams; Byrd Moore Williams owned a hardware store in Gainesville, Texas that sold photography equipment. His early prints were developed in a darkroom in the family's home. His work includes stunningly detailed images of his hardware store, photos of family members and places around Gainesville.; Byrd Moore Williams, Jr.; Byrd Williams II studied at the University of Texas (1905-1907), worked as an engineer, and expanded on family tradition by incorporating imagery in forms other than portraiture, which included landscapes and city scenery. His work includes documentation of civil engineering projects including the San Antonio River Walk. Byrd II's surveying equipment and notebooks are included in the collection as well as fragile nitrate based negatives featuring early scenes of Yosemite National Park.; Byrd Williams III; Byrd Williams III explored photography on his own terms as a fine art as well as a commercial enterprise. He owned a photo service in Fort Worth and in the 1930s created an expansive series of women …

Photograph of Byrd Williams sitting down at a table with copies of his book PROOF, a display on the table lists the price as $30. Two attendees of the exhibit stand in front of the table holding copies of the book for Williams to sign. Beside him stands Karen DeVinney, a member of UNT Press, the publishers of the book.

Photograph of Byrd Williams with two attendees of his lecture on the book PROOF, which is a collection of what was displayed in the Special Collections exhibit "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive".

Photograph of Byrd Williams at a lecture on the contents of his book PROOF, while exhibiting a collection of his families works. Williams is looking towards the left of the frame.

Photograph of Cathy N. Hartman (left) and Byrd M. Williams (right) behind a table holding a collection of the PROOF books. Williams is signing one of the books for Hartman. Both are looking towards the camera.

Photograph of a display case with various forms of photography set up inside. The case was a part of the "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" exhibit, which was housed in the Special Collections room in Willis Library during the Fall 2016 Semester.

Photograph of a display case against the wall of the Special Collections room. Inside are three vintage cameras as well as photographs from the times of the cameras. Also housed inside are artifacts from the times of the photos including an old stereoscope (left, third down), an Anheuser-Busch crate, a box, and an old book. All were a part of the "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" collection.

Photograph of a Former Substance Abuser and other participants seated in chairs at the 2015 Human Library event held at the University of North Texas Willis Library. Instead of print or electronic resources, the books in the Human Library are people who have experienced prejudice because of their race, gender, age, disability, ethnic origin, class, sexual preference, gender identity, or lifestyle choices.

Photograph of Gary Payne (right) side hugging Transportation Services Employee Nicole. Payne is a Manager of Photography and Video at University of North Texas.

Photograph of an informational banner hung on the wall during the "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" exhibit. It was housed in the Special Collections room at Willis Library during the fall semester of 2016. The banner reads "Introduction; An archive is a story which hasn't been written. Within each box and folder are photos, letters, scrapbooks and artifacts. Individually they are curiosities, but combined, they are interconnected evidence of the past. The Byrd Williams Family Photography Collection was created by four photographers, all named Byrd Moore Williams, over four successive generations beginning in 1890 and continuing through the present day. The collection is proof of four lives, lived in vivid detail. The story is yet to be told.; The archive, acquired by UNT Libraries in 2014, contains over 300,000 unique images, ranging from snapshots to studio portraits to street photography. Subject matter is diverse too; in this collection the landscapes of Yosemite site alongside televangelists, professional hockey players and Fort Worth city landmarks new and old. The history of the Williams Family is told within the collection through letters, postcards, diaries and artifacts such as cameras and significant personal effects." Also on the banner are several examples of …

Photograph of Jaimi Parker (black cardigan) and Martin Halbert (suit) standing near a desk in the Special Collections room in Willis Library. They are attending the reception for the "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" exhibit.

Photograph of Kevin Yanowski, a UNT Librarian, looking into a display case on the floor of the Special Collections room in Willis Library. The exhibit is called "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" and was held there through the Fall of 2016.

Photograph of Kevin Yanowski, a UNT Librarian, looking into a standalone display case at the "Proof: The Byrd Williams Family Photography Archive" exhibit. In the display are a few small portraits and booklets of photographs. He is holding a can and napkin in his hand.

Photograph of UNT librarian Laurel Crawford wearing a purple Hawaiian lei on her head while attending the 2014 Willis Library convocation event.

Lecturer Juli James teaches a class in news gaming and applied design in strategic communications at the University of North Texas (UNT) Mayborn School of Journalism.