APRIL 2007 ART EXHIBIT:

Dow L. Case

 In April 2007, the Library is featuring an exhibit of eleven photographs of the late Dow L. Case (d. 1980) selected by his wife, artist Connie Lanseigne-Case, whose work was shown in March. 

 Mr. Case began his career as a photojournalist and was later the assistant Sunday editor at the Lowell Sun newspaper.  Among the photographic works in the exhibit is a first prize winner for spot news, “Life Hangs in the Balance,” which was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1944.  This dramatic sepia-toned photograph shows a ladder rescue of workers from a fire at the Omaha Packing Company on Market Street in Lowell.  Smoke billows from the upper floor windows while workers at neighboring buildings look on, the apprehension clear on their faces.

His innate talent for photography was evident when, as a teenager, he built his own camera.  He used this camera to produce a portfolio that earned him a summer job with the photographic staff at the Sun.  That summer job stretched into a 43-year career in the fourth estate.

Another photograph in the exhibit, “Freshly Baked,” is of his mother’s homemade sliced bread taken with his homemade camera.  His use of light and composition earned him the reputation as “Rembrandt of the Camera” among his peers.

 Also on display:

 “Whistle Stop,” Forge Village, Massachusetts
“Lubber’s Light,” station at Forge Village, Massachusetts
“My Pal Joey,” spider in web
“Mount Desert Island,” Maine
“Cruising,” fishing boat’s mast
“Silent Pathway,” winter snow scene
“Birchscape,” winter scene (in color)
“Dedicated,” farmer in Chelmsford, Massachusetts
“Copious Notes,” portrait of Dow’s mother

 A large collection of Mr. Case’s photographs is also held by the University of Massachusetts at Lowell Center for Lowell History.