By Courtesy of Harvard University Archives

Harvard Then and Now

In “Walden,” Henry David Thoreau asks, “Why do precisely these objects which we behold make a world?” This project by photographer Özdemir Vayısoğlu seeks to contrast the worlds created by two distinct generations of Harvard students mainly through objects they owned. Through pairs of photos, it illustrates how Harvard’s campus has transformed since the late 19th and early 20th century, reflecting the epistemological value of everyday objects we behold for understanding our ever-changing world with a historical perspective, and thereby, providing a visual archaeology of how material culture has changed Harvard over the last century.

By Özdemir Vayısoğlu

{textmod size=slideshow header="Harvard Square" text="Harvard Square, the historic heart of Cambridge, has changed significantly over the past century." align=center}

Harvard Square (1874) -

Harvard Square (2014) -

Harvard Square (1874 vs. 2014)

{textmod size=slideshow header="Harvard Yard" text="Harvard Yard, the oldest part of Harvard’s campus, has also undergone some important changes over the past century. First a leopard-moth plague in 1909 and then a plague of Dutch elm disease in 1952 killed all the trees in this 1892 photograph, necessitating a series of reforestation campaigns in the coming decades. Also notice that the statue of John Harvard did not sit in its current location in front of University Hall back in 1892. The famous statue was originally placed before the west façade of Memorial Hall and stood there until 1924." align=center}

Harvard Yard (1892) -

Harvard Yard (2013) -

Harvard Yard (1892 vs. 2013)

{textmod size=slideshow header="Memorial Hall" text="Memorial Hall was constructed under the presidency of Charles William Eliot to honor Harvard students and alumni who lost their lives in defense of the Union during the American Civil War." align=center}

Memorial Hall (1890) -

Memorial Hall (2013) -

Memorial Hall (1890 vs. 2013)

{textmod size=slideshow header="Annenberg Hall" text="Dedicated in 1874, Alumni Hall was used as a dining commons until it closed in 1926. After a series of large-scale renovations funded by Walter Annenberg, it was renamed Annenberg Hall in 1996, and now serves as the freshman dining hall." align=center}

Alumni Hall (1887) -

Annenberg Hall (2013) -

Alumni Hall in 1887 vs. Annenberg Hall in 2013

{textmod size=slideshow header="Sanders Theatre" text="Designed primarily as an academic lecture hall for Harvard College, Sanders Theatre opened to student use in 1876. Throughout its history, Sanders has also hosted many musical and theatrical student groups on campus." align=center}

Sanders Theatre (1874) -

Sanders Theatre (2013) -

Sanders Theatre (1874 vs. 2013)

{textmod size=slideshow header="Widener Library" text="The Widener Library was built as a memorial for Harry Elkins Widener, Class of 1907, who died on the Titanic in 1912. The library is considered the centerpiece of Harvard Library System, and today houses more than 3 million volumes." align=center}

Widener Library (1914) -

Widener Library (2013) -

Widener Library (1914 vs. 2013)

Widener Library (1915) -

Widener Library (2013) -

Widener Library (1915 vs. 2013)

Widener Library (1915) -

Widener Library (2013) -

Widener Library (1915 vs. 2013)

{textmod size=slideshow header="Hollis Hall" text="Built in 1763, Hollis Hall is the fourth oldest building in Harvard Yard. In its long history spanning more than 250 years, Hollis underwent a series of extensive renovations, most importantly in 1876, 1898, and 1959." align=center}