: Through the lens of his camera, photojournalist Verner Reed
captured dramatic moments and everyday scenes that defined life
in New England in the years following World War II.
A new exhibition, "A Changing World: New England in the
Photographs of Verner Reed, 1950-1972," at the New Hampshire
Historical Society will be on view, free to the public, from June
18 through December 31.
On loan from Historic New England (Society for the Preservation
of New England Antiquities), the 82 poignant and
thought-provoking photographs featured in the exhibition offer a
historical record and an artistic vision of New England and its
people.
Reed covered New England for Life magazine from 1953 to
1957. His photographs were also featured in other national
magazines, such as Fortune and Time, as well as
regional publications, including Yankee magazine,
Vermont Life and Rhode Islander magazine.
Culturally, the 1950s and 1960s were a period of real change in
New England as people embraced new ideas even while holding tight
to traditional customs. A booming postwar economy, suburban
development and urban decline, a national highway system and
widespread electrification all changed life in New England. Small
farms gave way to larger agri-businesses in other regions;
thousands of acres of meadows and woodlands were lost to rapidly
expanding suburbs; supermarkets replaced fruit vendors and
butchers; and town fairs faced competition from regional and
national attractions now more accessible by automobile.
"Reed's photographs capture the people of New England in all
aspects of their lives during this complex time," said Wesley
Balla, the New Hampshire Historical Society's director of
collections and exhibitions. "Through these images, compelling
questions emerge, including the contrast between rural and urban
life, the person-to-person directness of American politics, the
growing appeal of the famous, and the continuing idealization of
'old-time New England.'"
Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 9:30 am to 5 pm. A catalog of
the exhibition will be offered for sale through the society's
museum store.
The New Hampshire Historical Society is at 30 Park Street. For
information, nhhistory.org, or 603-228-6688.
