The McCall Library is delighted to share its
acquisition of the photographic collection
created by renowned photographer William C.
(Bill) Shrout, 1913-1986, comprising more than
300,000 images.
Bill Shrout grew up in Washington, DC where he
worked for the Washington Post early in his career,
and for LIFE magazine prior to and during WWII,
where he served as one of the magazine's
Photographers. He had the distinction of being
assigned to every branch of the
US armed forces. In addition to LIFE, his work
was also published in Time, the Saturday Evening
Post, and Popular Mechanics. The International
Center of Photography includes an exhibit showing
some of his work for LIFE, and he is included
among 99 LIFE photographers in The Great LIFE
Photographers, published in 2004.
Following the War, Shrout lived and worked in Mobile where some family roots existed, as a
photojournalist and commercial photographer. He documented area construction, including Dauphin
Island's development, Bellingrath Home and Gardens, and events such as the arrival of the USS
Alabama in Mobile. He was also employed by the EPA for its DOCUMERICA project to document
the environmental crisis in the 1970s. His work for that project is held by the National Archives.
Shrout died in 1986, and his daughter Kathryne Elizabeth Shrout, who served as his assistant,
died in 2022. The collection of slides, negatives, prints, and some personal papers, was
graciously donated by Shrout’s grandchildren and will be preserved and available for use after
processing
Or by emailing specialevents@southalabama.edu