Photographs That Changed America

Doors open at 9:15 AM, and the lecture starts at 10:00 AM.

From its introduction in 1839, photography has transformed the ways in which we see the world. Photographs capture events and transform them; they depict reality but also tell a story. Examining the histories of these images, and learning how to read them, provides a deeper understanding of how photographs have shaped, and continue to shape, American society and culture. We’ll explore: Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother, Joe Rosenthal’s Flag Raising on Mt. Suribichi, Nick Ut’s Napalm Girl, Stanley Forman’s The Soiling of Old Glory, and Thomas Franklin’s Raising the Flag at Ground Zero.

About the Speaker

Louis Masur is Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. A graduate of the University at Buffalo and Princeton University, he is a cultural historian who has written on a variety of topics. His most recent book is A Journey North: Jefferson, Madison, and the Forging of a Friendship. He is also the author of The Sum of Our Dreams: A Concise History of America. A specialist on Lincoln and the Civil War, he is the author of Lincoln’s Last Speech: Wartime Reconstruction & The Crisis of Reunion, Lincoln’s Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union, and The Civil War: A Concise History. He has been elected to membership of the American Antiquarian Society, Colonial Society of Massachusetts, and the Society of American Historians and has received teaching prizes from Harvard University, the City College of New York, Trinity College and Rutgers University.

Visitor Information and Guidelines

For assistance and to purchase tickets by phone, call the box office at 973-971-3706. Tickets and passes include a non-refundable service fee. Programs are subject to change.

Support for this series is provided by Melanie and Alan Levitan.