Photo Essay
In Photos: The Front Lines of Harvard Square
One year after Harvard undergraduates were sent home and Square businesses drastically shifted their operations in March 2020, the essential workers of Harvard Square and Harvard’s campus have worked tirelessly to keep the local community alive. The Crimson’s Multimedia Editors spoke with local essential workers who have largely worked throughout the coronavirus pandemic to learn about their experiences.
In Photos: The State of Harvard Square, One Year Later
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Harvard Square was a center of activity, bustling with people shopping, eating, and admiring the historic buildings of Harvard’s campus. When the pandemic began, the Square took a hit — the stream of tourists slowed, and almost all students departed campus by March 15, 2020. Besides the loss of customers, non-essential businesses, such as salons, shut down to comply with state orders from the Massachusetts government. Now, a year after students initially departed from campus, the Square is still weathering the effects of the ongoing pandemic.
In Photos: March 10, Then and Now
Exactly one year ago, Harvard administrators informed undergraduates that they would need to evacuate campus in just five days, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From March 10 to 15, 2020, students packed up their rooms, made travel arrangements, and said goodbye to their friends and classmates. The Crimson’s Multimedia Editors documented those hectic five days, and one year later, they revisited some of the same locations to capture the new normal on campus.
In Photos: Local Arts Endure the Pandemic
After the coronavirus pandemic hit, only essential services and businesses were permitted to remain open to help control the spread of the virus. Along with the closure of indoor dining, schools, and sports venues, arts institutions were forced to shut their doors to the public and retreat to a virtual space. Many of Boston and Cambridge’s centers of arts and entertainment learned to adapt to the uncharted territory, many suspending their performance seasons for the first time ever.
The Photos That Captured 2020
As 2020 comes to a close, The Crimson's Multimedia Editors are looking back at some of the big events that our photojournalists covered this year. While this year was untraditional in many ways, our photojournalists managed to capture many of the defining moments across Harvard’s campus.
In Photos: Austin, TX in April
On March 24, 2020, Austin issued its first of a series of “Stay Home, Work Safe” orders, including social distancing and face-covering requirements. On March 30, Texas Governor Greg W. Abbott issued a de facto state-wide stay-at-home order, instructing residents to minimize social gatherings, practice social distancing, and limit non-essential activities. On May 1, Texas became one of the first states to relax its statewide coronavirus restrictions, allowing some businesses, including restaurants and retail stores, to reopen to 25 percent capacity. Photojournalist Jenny M. Lu visited several spots in Austin in the week leading up to Texas’ reopening.
In Photos: A Look Back at Winter Athletics 2019-2020
While many winter sports had their seasons abruptly cut short in early March due to the evacuation of campus and NCAA cancellations in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak, the 2019-2020 winter athletic season was nonetheless a source of energetic competition for Harvard Athletics. The Crimson Multimedia Staff went into this season’s archive to look back and share some of The Crimson’s previously unpublished sports photos from this past winter season.
In Photos: New York City Sleeps During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Photographer Allison G. Lee captures the empty sights of New York City in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Photos: Cambridge During the Coronavirus Pandemic
In just a few short weeks, Cambridge has transformed from a bustling city to a ghost-town in order to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The Crimson's photographers sought to capture that new reality.
In Photos: Ghungroo 2020
Harvard South Asian Association celebrated its annual production of Ghungroo during the last week of February. Ghungroo — the largest cultural show on campus — celebrates South Asian Culture at the Agassiz Theatre in Radcliffe Yard. There were over 300 students involved with performing, directing, and producing the dances, music, and skits of the show. This year’s performance utilized the setting and dynamics of the American city to celebrate the range of “linguistic, ideological, cultural, and religious diversity in South Asian America in the 21st century.”
In Photos: CSA Men's Squash Championship
In what can only be described as dominant, the Harvard men’s squash team routed the competition at every step on its way to the CSA title from Feb. 28, 2020, to March 1, 2020, at the Harvard Murr Center. The team played Drexel, Princeton, and Penn on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on its way to the championship, losing only one match over the entire weekend.
In Photos: Super Tuesday
Every four years, Super Tuesday marks the day in presidential primary season when the single most states hold primaries and caucuses. In total, they represent over a third of the delegates who will cast their votes for the Democratic presidential nominee at the Democratic National Convention in July.
In Photos: Echosmith in Concert
American indie pop band Echosmith, formed in 2009 in California, held a concert at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston on Feb. 14, 2020. Experience the evening through photos.
In Photos: Elizabeth Banks, Hasty Pudding's Woman of the Year
Elizabeth Banks rolled down Massachusetts Ave. on Friday afternoon in a Rolls Royce during the Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year parade, followed by a roast and press conference inside Farkas Hall.
The Photos That Captured the 2010s
Over the past decade, major changes have taken place at Harvard, and The Crimson's photographers have been on the scene to document everything from the return of ROTC to campus to strikes led by dining hall workers and later graduate student workers calling for higher wages. The Crimson's Multimedia staff reflects on some of most important stories of the past decade told through photos.
The Photos That Captured 2019
The Crimson’s Multimedia editors look back on the photos that shaped 2019.
In Photos: The 136th Game
In a double-overtime thriller, No. 24/25 Yale defeated Harvard in the 136th rendition of The Game, 50-43. With the victory, the Bulldogs claimed a half-share of the Ivy League title, sharing the crown with Dartmouth. En route to earn the victory, Yale (9-1, 6-1 Ivy) overcame a 19-point deficit, with 17 consecutive points in the fourth quarter alone.
In Photos: Harvard-Yale Divest Protest
Hundreds of protesters flooded onto the field to call on Harvard and Yale to divest their endowments from fossil fuels and Puerto Rican debt. The protest lasted about half-an-hour, and game play was delayed by 48 minutes.
In Photos: The 55th Head of the Charles Regatta
The world’s largest two-day rowing event, the 55th Head of the Charles Regatta, took place Oct. 19-20. Thousands of spectators flocked to the banks of the Charles River to watch more than 11,000 athletes compete.
In Photos: 2019 Crimson Madness
A highly-anticipated 2019-2020 season kicked off Friday with the Crimson's annual fan event.
In Photos: Dance Mile 2019
Within the social fitness activities at Boston’s 4th Annual Social Fitness Festival, the Dance Mile was a sight to see, high in attendance and high in spirits.
In Photos: Boston Climate Strike 2019
On Sept. 20, more than four million protesters took part in a global demonstration to call attention to climate change. Divest Harvard — an organization advocating for the University to divest its endowment from the fossil fuel industry — organized a rally in Science Center Plaza. Harvard affiliates and students from nearby schools gathered on campus before joining a larger rally at Boston City Hall Plaza.
In Photos: Fluff Festival 2019
In order to celebrate their famous creation, Union Square Mainstreets and the Somerville Arts Council hosted the 14th annual What The Fluff? Festival on Sept. 21.
In Photos: Young the Giant in Concert
The Boston summer solstice performance on June 21 was the fifth stop on Young The Giant’s 34-stop North American tour with indie pop band Fitz and The Tantrums.
In Photos: Boston Dragon Boat Festival 2019
Boston’s annual Dragon Boat Festival took over the Charles River once again for its fortieth anniversary, drawing over 30,000 people to Cambridge for a day filled with food, festivities, and fun.