Bill Traylor: The Voice of Alabama Folklore William “Bill” Traylor (April 1, c. 1853 – October 23, 1949) remains an enigma to art historians and critics alike—a self-taught African American artist whose extraordinary drawings emerged from the obscurity of rural Alabama during the Great Depression. Despite initial dismissals as “primitive” or “outsider,” Traylor’s work has undergone a dramatic reassessment in recent decades, securing its rightful place within the burgeoning fields of “self-taught” and modern art. This rediscovery owes much to the tireless efforts of Charles Shannon, who first…