Paul Henderson manuscript and ephemera collection

Paul Samuel Henderson was born on October 10, 1899 in Springfield, Tennessee and was the youngest of four children born to Ike A. and Annie L. Henderson. At age 18, he registered for the World War I draft on September 12, 1918 while working as a bricklayer for a steel company in Gary, Indiana. In 1920 his profession changed to driver for a laundry in Gary. At some point during his residence in Gary, he attended the School for Professional Photography. After leaving Indiana, Henderson worked for a newspaper in Roanoke, Virginia.

Henderson moved to Baltimore in 1929 and became what the Afro-American newspaper called their "first photographer." In 1930, he married schoolteacher and “prominent society girl” Elizabeth Johnson. Mrs. Henderson was a graduate of Douglass High School and Coppin Normal School for Teachers (now Coppin State University) in Baltimore whose career flourished in the Baltimore City Public School system. In addition to his job at the Baltimore Afro-American, Henderson was a freelance photographer and landlord.

Henderson had become well-known for taking pictures of large groups and distant objects atop a ladder he carried and was also photographed with his camera on a ledge of City Hall in Baltimore. His photography earned him several awards, including recognition in 1944 by the Afro-American as its best photographer. Henderson was also an active member of his community. He was a vestryman at St. James Church, charter member of the Druid Hill Avenue Neighborhood Club, assistant treasurer of a local Frontiers International club, member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and supported the Salvation Army.

Henderson died on Tuesday, May 24, 1988 at Union Memorial Hospital after a reported battle with a long term illness. Services were held at St. James Episcopal Church at Lafayette and Arlington Avenues. He had outlived his wife Elizabeth, who passed away in 1982. His obituary stated that he was survived by his brother, Willard Henderson, who lived in Tampa, Florida.