Photo Essay
The Photos That Captured 2021
The Crimson looks back at 2021 in photos, examining the images of a year that, like the previous one, took place in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Photos: Crimson Madness Returns
The return of Harvard Crimson basketball competition at Lavietes Pavilion for the first time since pre-pandemic kicked off on Oct. 15 as both the men’s and women’s programs battled their teammates in two intrasquad scrimmages following an assortment of pre-game activities and food.
In Photos: Harvard’s Graduate Student Union Goes on Strike, A Second Time
The Crimson’s Multimedia Editors documented the Harvard graduate student union’s three days on strike, capturing their picketing through Harvard Yard and Longwood campus.
In Photos: The Head of the Charles Regatta Returns
After being canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Head of the Charles Regatta returned in 2021, bringing thousands of rowers and spectators to the water and banks of the Charles River.
In Photos: No. 16/RV Football Defeats Lafayette ahead of Princeton Showdown
In its last non-conference matchup of the season, Harvard built an early lead and never looked back. The Crimson ran up 30 points while keeping Lafayette out of the end zone in the 30-3 win.
In Photos: Harvard Athletic Events Return to Campus in Full Force
For the first time in roughly a year and a half, Harvard Athletics is back. Four teams took to the pool, field, and court across campus as fans cheered them on in an action-packed weekend after the first days of classes.
In Photos: Historic Convocation for Both Freshmen and Sophomore Classes
As the gates of Harvard Yard opened on Tuesday, August 31st, an annual celebration of first-year students was set to take place in Tercentenary Theater. However, the First-Year Convocation was accompanied by an additional Convocation celebration for the Class of 2024.
In Photos: Harvard Students Move In As Campus Returns to Full Capacity For First Time Since March 2020
Beginning Aug. 20, Harvard welcomed back undergraduate students over the span of a staggered move-in, which saw the campus return to full capacity for the first time since March 2020.
In Photos: A Tour of the New Science and Engineering Complex
Though most students, faculty, and staff do not yet have access to Harvard’s new Science and Engineering Complex due to Covid-19 restrictions, The Crimson was granted access to tour the eight-story SEC Monday. Here is a brief look, in photos, of the SEC’s features, study spaces, and classrooms students can look forward to.
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: 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: 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.
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.
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.