For more than fifty years George Eastman House has collected and preserved photographs that matter to the world, to our nation, and to our community. Photographs give meaning to our lives. They shape our memory. The events of September 11, 2001, and all that has followed on screen and in print has framed anew the question of what we value as individuals, and as a society. These events compelled our institution to respond by looking at our treasures with new eyes.
The staff of George Eastman House selected 128 photographs from the permanent collection that spoke to them. These images are diverse in subject and format but are united by their common spirit. They voice a refrain for family and community that extends beyond national boundaries to universal values shared throughout the world. The images represent themes of
- family
- working and leisure
- national milestones and crises
- patriotism
- quirky glimpses of life
The exhibits from the George Eastman House and the Share Your Photo display will be complemented by a display of Ohio Historical Society collections. As visitors enter the Ohio Historical Center, they will encounter The Past Wasn’t Black and White, featuring a pairing of images and objects from the Ohio Historical Society’s collections, encouraging viewers to look at both items in a different way. Some examples are a chair given to President Warren G. Harding from fellow journalists that was made of wood from a warship that was dated from the American Revolution, paired with a photograph of Harding’s dog, Laddie Boy, sitting in the chair, circa 1922. Another more recent example is the gown worn by Miss Ohio Jacquelyn “Jackie” Mayer of Sandusky during the talent competition of the 1963 Miss America pageant paired with a video of Mayer’s performance.
Picturing What Matters: An Offering of Photographs from the George Eastman House Collection and The Armory Wall: A Tribute to September 11 Photographs by John Taylor and Dianne Dubler was organized by George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, who gratefully acknowledges the support of OppenheimerFunds, Inc. and Eastman Kodak Company.
