Humans are drawn to faces, and that gives portraits a special power. Portraits have the ability to collapse geographic and historical distances, bringing us into a more intimate dialogue with the past. While Houghton’s collections derive from years of Harvard libraries amassing works primarily produced in Europe and European colonies, they nevertheless contain materials—such as portraits—that can tell far broader, deeper stories. Face to Face: Portraits of People of Color Before Photography showcases portraits of specifically identifiable individuals, what is known of their lives, and the context in which their portraits were made.

Face to Face: Portraits of People of Color Before Photography, Thursday, June 9, 2022, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Events Calendar – Harvard Gazette