New at UMMA: LIFE Magazine 1947 Homecoming Photographs

August 25 - November 18, 2018

In October 1947, just two years after the end of World War II, the popular weekly news magazine LIFE sent staff photographers Lisa Larsen and Ralph Morse to cover homecoming weekend at the University of Michigan. The subsequent article, “Michigan Homecoming,” which brought national attention to UM’s athletic program, featured a seven-page spread with photographs of the campus during a much-anticipated football game between the number-one ranked Michigan Wolverines and the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers. This installation provides a unique opportunity to view twenty-one images of that weekend, many of which were not published in the original article, recently donated to UMMA by John and Susan Edwards Harvith. Considered alongside the article, these photographs of fervent fans, strolling couples, alumni making their annual pilgrimage, and the game itself present LIFE magazine’s view of a giddy post-war public enjoying a return to American pastimes.

These photographs were recently gifted to UMMA by John (AB '69, JD '73) and Susan (MMP '73) Harvith.

Images

Lisa Larsen, Untitled, 1947, gelatin silver print. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Gift of John Harvith (AB '69, JD '73) and Susan Edwards Harvith (MMP '73) in memory of our mentors Jean Paul Slusser and Charles Sawyer, 2017/2.216

Lisa Larsen, Untitled, 1947, gelatin silver print. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Gift of John Harvith (AB '69, JD '73) and Susan Edwards Harvith (MMP '73) in memory of our mentors Jean Paul Slusser and Charles Sawyer, 2017/2.217

Lisa Larsen, Untitled, 1947, gelatin silver print. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Gift of John Harvith (AB '69, JD '73) and Susan Edwards Harvith (MMP '73) in memory of our mentors Jean Paul Slusser and Charles Sawyer, 2017/2.223

Lisa Larsen, Untitled, 1947, gelatin silver print. University of Michigan Museum of Art, Gift of John Harvith (AB '69, JD '73) and Susan Edwards Harvith (MMP '73) in memory of our mentors Jean Paul Slusser and Charles Sawyer, 2017/2.225

Timeline

Exhibition Timeline

SatAug 25
Exhibition Opens
Sat
Oct 6
Homecoming 2018 at UMMA: Art Making with the Secret Lab Team
11:00am2:00pm
Artmaking / Exhibitions Related / Family / Special Events
Sun
Oct 7
In Conversation: New at UMMA: LIFE Magazine 1947 Homecoming Photographs
3:00pm4:00pm
Artists and Curators / Exhibitions Related / Gallery Talks and Tours
SunNov 18
Exhibition Closes
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