Victorian New Jersey:
Photographs by Guillermo Thorn
from the Kean University Collection
Open now – closes August 30, 2009
2nd Floor Fine Art Galleries
Guillermo Thorn (1837-1920) was among the most important New Jersey photographers of the 19th century. He worked from the early 1850s to 1910, a time when photography was truly a new art form. For most of his career he lived in Plainfield, New Jersey.
Yet unlike many of his contemporaries, Thorn took great pleasure in working beyond the confines of rigid portrait poses in an indoor studio. Whenever possible, he traveled the country side, documented the natural landscape of New Jersey and the lives of ordinary citizens involved in pleasant activities of the Victorian age.
Among his favorite scenes were people at the seaside, rural landscapes, regional celebrations and local architecture. Thorn created artful images that reveal a remarkable sensitivity. This exhibition, from the Kean University Collection, provides a window into the world of Guillermo Thorn.
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