If you're visiting Natchez, you'll undoubtedly be visiting several of the magnificent mansions around town. But what you miss as you tour these houses is any real sense of those who lived there, their children and servants, what they did, what the rest of Natchez looked like, etc. etc. Do yourself a favor and visit the Stratton Gallery and peruse the hundreds of excellent photographs that help complete a full 'picture' of Natchez.
Anyone with a good imagination will find dozens of images that will have you speculating on the 'backstory' to the photo. Delightful sums it up for me.

This collection is astounding. The "guide" at the front door said that pictures were all developed from glass negatives that had been sitting on a Natchez patio in cardboard boxes. I can't imagine the patience and time it must have taken to hand develop each one but they shed light on the past in a way no film or book could do. As an added bonus, a man played the enormous pipe organ almost the entire time we toured the gallery. What a treat!

This exhibit rivals any in a fine museum. We were lucky to have a very knowlegable volunteer staffing the church and photograph display that gave us a delightful tour of the church and a lot of background on the photographs. Captions with the photographs provide great background if you are not so lucky. You must see these photographs if you are in town, they complement the home tours greatly.

500 fascinating photos dating back to the 1850s, ranging from formal portraits to riverboats to scenes of daily life. All races, all walks of life. Don't miss it.