The wild, early years of photography


Meehan talk, Jan. 22

SALISBURY — The Decorative Arts Lecture Series: Era of Elegance, sponsored by the Salisbury Association Historical Society, returns Saturday, Jan. 22, at 4 p.m. at the Scoville Memorial Library.

In “The Birth of Photography and How it Changed Our Lives,� professional photographer and author Joseph Meehan of Salisbury will trace the development of photography.

Photography emerged as one of the most important inventions of the 19th century. In its earliest years, photographers explored this new medium unhindered by any rules and driven by the desire to record all aspects of life. As a result, there was a kind of creative energy that could exist only in these early years.

The presentation will be illustrated with more  than 100 projected images and several 19th-century examples of different photographic media. Meehan will concentrate on the first quarter century, as photography rapidly became a way of recording and preserving everything from natural and manmade disasters and wars and scientific events to the details of everyday life.

Meehan’s 40-year career in photography has included assignment work for a wide variety of commercial, advertising and editorial publications as well as teaching photography on the college level.

He also served as the technical editor of Photo District News for more than a decade, writing about new technologies. He is also the former editor of the Photography Yearbook.

Meehan has written more than 20 books on photographic technique, many of which have received “best book� awards and have been translated into several languages.

He also contributes photographs regularly to The Lakeville Journal. He and his wife, Lynn, moved to Lakeville 40 years ago and now live in the Twin Lakes area.  For more information, call 860-435-2838.

 

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less