In our last post, we looked at a collection illustrating how nice it is when members of the Norwich community do the work of preserving, curating, and collecting (literal!) “scraps” of their lives for us. This week, we examine the photography of Homer Smith, Norwich’s university photographer from the 1960s to 1991. Like Arvid Sjovall (Class of 1910) with his scrapbook, Smith composed and captured the scenes and people of Norwich in a way that makes learning about Norwich’s past an aesthetic experience.
Rook Week, 1981
Smith’s work is probably familiar to anyone who has even briefly researched Norwich history, but the extent of its digitization on the Archives’ website make it worth re-mentioning. Smith’s work is as varied as it is long-lived. He captured iconic shots of rook week, carefree crowd scenes at winter carnival and junior week, and celebrations by new graduates and their guests at commencement.
He skillfully captured images as symbols of the institution, like the drill team in crisp formation before the venerable, ivy-clad backdrop of Chaplin library. But he also possessed that unique photographer’s ability to restrain his control of the composition and allow his subjects to “self-compose,” confronting their viewers as equals. This ability is on display in his more intimate, candid shots as well as formal and group portraits.
Families at Parents' weekend in 1990
If it’s your first time viewing Smith’s photographs, pick a page and see what favorites you come up with—we’d love to hear which ones you choose.
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