I attended a remarkable workshop at the Virginia Historical Society this morning. Here is the description: New and rapidly developing technologies allowed the twentieth century to be the more visually documented than any previous era. Movies, photography, and new printing methods recorded the sweeping changes that occurred as people moved from the countryside to cities and as the Industrial Revolution came to dominate the new rhythms of life. Join us as we explore themes of urbanization, social change, and politics represented by the rarely displayed photograph, manuscript, and museum collections of the Virginia Historical Society.
If you are curious, starting at upper right you see a Mennonite boy from the 1970's dressed in traditional garb but with Chuck Taylor high tops. Next you see the condition of the roads in Virginia before paving was introduced. The farmer with his mule was actually photographed in 1974. On the bottom center is a 5 year old selling newspapers, barefooted, On the bottom left is one of the first color prints from 1902. Right above a man brings his tobacco to the warehouses of Richmond. Above that is a series of tintypes of a serious young woman and one of the first portable cameras. Then back at the top, you see a classroom of very cold students and finally Robert E. Lee on his famous horse, Traveler.
What i liked about this program was the way the instructor pointed out items in the pictures that showed how society was changing. This is just a small percentage of what we saw. What a treasure trove!
Wow--that must have been a fascinating workshop! I have always loved old photos, but it must have been great to have someone help make sense of them. My favorite is the Mennonite boy, because when we lived in Virginia Beach in the 1970's, there was a Mennonite community there. I loved the women's graceful dresses and little bonnets, but I never took a picture for fear of offending them. I wonder if they are still there?
