Bayard Wooten
Was Unique
A pioneer ami adventurer who left
niiich for Aorth Carolina to remember.
tty BILLY ARTIICR
Mu. Woolen i» best remembered (or her artistic pho¬
tography of the 1920 s and 1930's, when she roamed
over the slate with her camera taking 'skilllul and
penetrating looks al people and places." (Bayard
Woolen Collection, N.C. Collection. UNC-CH Library)
The first woman ever to become a member ol the
Army (N.C. National Guard at Camp Glen), a special
uniform was tailored for Mrs. Wooten. Later her
photos were influential in establishing Fort Bragg
14
During World War II when induction
of women into the armed forces was
considered a disagreeably extreme and
bitter break with tradition. Mrs. Bayard
Woollen of New Bern and Chapel Hill
had been a volunteer pioneer some 30
years earlier as the first female mem¬
ber of the army — in the N.C. National
Guard.
Also, she was the first female com¬
missioned officer — a general, at that!
Further, she provided the revealing
photographic evidence that led to the
establishment of Fort Bragg.
They were but three of her many at¬
tainments. The spunky Mrs. Wootten I
knew as a student and newspaperman,
loved the outdoors, skies, trees and peo¬
ple. By portrait and industrial photog¬
raphy she made a living, but she
climbed mountains, gambled with fate,
trudged in sand, fields of cotton, corn
and tobacco because she wanted to.
Along the way to age 83. she exposed
many, many more than 600,000 nega¬
tives. the estimated number lost when
fire destroyed the Wootten-Moulton
Studio at New Bern. Secure, however,
in the photographic archives of the
North Carolina Collection at UNC-CH
are more than 100.000 negatives and
prints, mostly yet uncatalogcd. from
her Chapel Hill studio.
In her early twenties. Mrs. Woollen
became responsible for the support of
her parents, a younger sister and
brother, and her two children by a
divorced husband. But she was re¬
sourceful. She painted portraits, para¬
sols. fans, menus, dresses and got her
start in photography taking pictures of
Blacks, putting them on calendars and
painting in cotton field backgrounds.
They were marketed in New Bern, but
income dropped sharply when many of
her customers went to the mountains or
nearer the ocean in the summers.
In The Army
That was the season the National
Guard held its annual encampment at
Camp Glenn. Morehead City, and she
pursued an idea. Beginning in 1910.
Mrs. Wootten took pictures of the
"uniformed civilians in training," and
"they were bought like hotcakes to send
back home to their girl friends and fam¬
ilies." She was on the job at 5 a.m.. ac¬
companied troops on maneuvers, pro¬
cessed pictures at night and posted them
the next day. She was credited with
boosting both morale and reenlistments.
However, because she was a woman
and enjoying privileges in the camp, to
stem any suggestions that army regula¬
tions were being violated. Mrs. Woot¬
ten was designated "chief of publicity."
To give her army status a uniform was
ordered for her. and an army hat with
lieutenant’s braided cord was issued
her.
"When Gen. Lawrence Young saw
that braid, he said I shouldn’t be wear¬
ing it." she recalled in an interview in
the !930's. "I was scared and apolo¬
gized and told him that's what they gave
me. and he said I misunderstood, that
they were proud of my work and I had
helped them. He had me stand up be¬
fore the men and said something like
‘on behalf of the National Guard of the
State of North Carolina. I bestow upon
you the rank and privileges of adjutant
general.’ Then he took that lieutenant
cord off my hat and put his own gold
cord on mine. I had that summer job for
years.
"1 guess I’m still a member of the
guard." she added. "I never received
any discharge papers.”
In the early I920’s regular army Gen.
A. J. Bowley heard so much about her
work with the guard that he lured her
to Camp Bragg, near Fayetteville,
where she did extensive photography of
the hastily built World War I training
base, and expertly depicted the deteri¬
orating and rotting frame structures and
the camp’s total pathetic and disreputa¬
ble appearance.
Armed with Mrs. Wootten's pictures.
Gen. Bowley was able to influence
Washington to begin installing perma¬
nent brick and concrete structures at the
sand and pine covered area now known
as Fort Bragg.
THE STATE, NOVEMBER 1905
