Wolfeboro 1854

Editor: This is "Wolfeboro," a photograph by John Adams Whipple. The print has a hazy, dreamlike quality that makes me think of memory. What symbols or visual cues stand out to you? Curator: Notice the prominence of the church. In 19th-century America, the church was more than a place of worship; it was a communal anchor. The elevated perspective suggests a comprehensive view—almost an aspiration to understand the whole of society and how it operates. What kind of visual story do you think it tells? Editor: Perhaps it's about community and progress, with that steeple reaching towards the sky. Curator: Precisely. And what lingers with me is how photography itself becomes a symbol here—a new way of seeing and remembering. I think that is very powerful.