Harvard Library: "We Carry With Us Precious Memorials" Harvard Class Photograph Albums: 1852–1865

 Harvard Library invites you to the opening reception of:
"We Carry With Us Precious Memorials"
Harvard Class Photograph Albums: 1852–1865
 
With the introduction of photography in the mid-19th century, Harvard graduates could remember their college years with a new fidelity—whether through autographed images of classmates, formal portraits of faculty, or graceful scenes of Harvard Yard.
The images took the form of salted paper prints, created by noted studios that were mastering the art and science of this pioneering photographic process. Graduating seniors assembled the prints into custom-made albums that began as simple notebooks and by the 1860s had transformed into handsome, gilt-edged tomes.
The exhibition features a selection of early class photograph albums from the collections of the Harvard University Archives that reveal how graduates commemorated their college years for themselves and posterity through the new medium.
The exhibition is presented in partnership by the Weissman Preservation Center and the Harvard University Archives.
 
 
Photo: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Class of 1861 Album. George Kendall Warren. Salted paper print, 1861. HUD 261.04.2 F. Harvard University Archives.