The exhibition Mail Carrier with a Camera: Photographs by Burford Royston features over 75 captivating images, mostly taken in the 1950s, that chronicle the lives of rural Howard County, Missouri, residents along Royston’s mail route. These photographs were selected from hundreds of slides in the Burford Leon Royston Collection, recently donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by the Royston family. Burford’s keen eye captured portraits and landscapes of many people and places that have since disappeared, yet his imagery reflects the dynamic and spontaneous energy of rural life that continues to resonate with Missourians today. 

Made possible by a generous gift from Susan Vale, this exhibition will run through September of 2025 and will be accompanied by a catalogue to be published later this summer.