A Collection of Forty-Six Photographs of New Left Protests and Festivals, Presumably Taken by a Participant, c. late 1960s

V.p., 1970. Thirty-three 11 x 14 images, thirteen 8 x 10 images. Excellent. These photographs, likely taken by a participant in the various events but probably printed in the 1970s, encapsulate many of the iconic themes of the New Left. Most of the photographs show protesters at unidentified events, though the clothing and settings are without a doubt the late 1960s, and one photograph, a close-up of Abbie Hoffman, as well as several pictures of demonstrators being arrested suggest that the pictures may have been taken at the 1968 Democratic Convention. The smaller series of photographs show mud-caked festival-attendants in various states: having sex, smoking marijuana, walking pleasantly alongside each other, and painting each other with mud. The pictures vary in technical quality but encapsulate the moment quite vividly, with an intimacy lacking from most press photographs of the period, and despite the student photography feel they show a pivotal moment in American social history with a sympathetic eye. A few photographs of an older woman at a protest and another of a military veteran appear to intend to portray the movement as having a broader purpose. Prints are well preserved and generally in excellent condition, with a few prints which appear to be earlier showing some normal signs of wear.