Organized by Historic New England

February 13 –
May 9, 2012

White on White: Churches of Rural New England presents 40 photographs of iconic New England churches by renowned architectural photographer Steve Rosenthal.

The early churches of New England hold a special place in the American consciousness, revered for their physical beauty, simplicity and elegance and for their role in the nation’s history.

Rosenthal began photographing these churches in the 1960s, and the project gradually became a personal quest. His luminous black and white photographs capture the intrinsic beauty of the architecture while creating a world of rich order and rational light.

"These are the buildings which give New England towns and villages a unique sense of place and define, in many minds, the New England character,” said Rosenthal. “Collectively, they are as important to the cultural and architectural history of these villages as are the great cathedrals to the cities of Europe."

An accompanying book White on White: Churches of Rural New England, photographs by Steve Rosenthal, with an essay by Verlyn Klinkenborg and an afterword by Robert Campbell, is available through Historic New England.

Photos:

First Congregational Church of East Machias, East Machias, Maine, 1836 © 1975 Steve Rosenthal

Old Trinity Episcopal Church, Brooklyn, Connecticut, 1771 © 2004 Steve Rosenthal

Rocky Hill Meeting House, Amesbury, Massachusetts, 1785© 1996 Steve Rosenthal