A fascinating exhibition of portrait photographs selected from the archives of the Maryland Historical Societywas recently assembled in a show called “Reflections: A Brief History of Looking at Ourselves.”
The exhibition, which opened June 19th and runs through July 1, 2020, highlights themes of identity and place, and showcases portrait work from unsung and in some cases unidentified photographers -- as with the photograph featured to the left -- that are represented in the Historical Society's photo and prints collections. The photographs on exhibit encompass nearly the entire 180-year history of photography, from 1840s daguerreotypes to present-day digital photographs and “selfies.”
Joining Tom to describe how the exhibition came together and to share some of the stories behind the photographs are Joe Tropea, the film and photographs curator at the Maryland Historical Society, and Elena Volkova, assistant professor of Art & Visual Communication Design at Stevenson University. She’s also co-host (with Joseph Giordano) of the photojournalism podcast, Ten Frames per Second.
