Art & LiteratureImmigrant NeighborhoodNew BostonUrban Renewal A black and white photograph of a man standing behind a movie camera with destroyed buildings in the background.

Charles Frani: Photographer of the West End’s Demolition

Charles J. “Frani” Zanfani (1922-2001), born in Boston to Italian immigrant parents, first moved to the West End with his family in the 1950s. Displaced by the West End urban renewal project to the North Slope of Beacon Hill, Frani devoted the 1960s to meticulously photographing the destruction of the neighborhood. His photographic collection, preserved at The West End Museum, offers a poignant view into Urban Renewal and its devastating effects on the community.

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Art & LiteratureWest Boston A shirtless man poses for a black and white photograph. He is middle aged with a beard.

Southworth & Hawes: Early Photography in Boston

The partnership of Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes revolutionized early photography in the United States, particularly through their exceptional portrait daguerreotypes. Operating from 1843 to 1861, their renowned Scollay Square studio attracted elite clientele, including prominent political, intellectual, and artistic figures, as well as many notable West Enders. Their streetscapes of Scollay Square, the West End, and other Boston neighborhoods, and their commissioned works on historic events, documented Boston during a period of physical and cultural change.

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Art & LiteratureImmigrant NeighborhoodLGBTQ+ A photograph of a man in three-quarter profile. Nearly everything is in darkness except his face, turned to look at the camera, and his hands in the bottom right corner.

F. Holland Day

F. Holland Day was a publisher and photographer who lived in the historic West End around the turn of the 20th century. Though he never described himself in so many words, he may have had same-sex relationships with other men and is generally seen as traveling in LGBTQ+ circles during his life. In addition to his significance as an artist, he also had a close relationship with an Italian immigrant family, the Costanzas, from the Upper End of the West End while he lived on the north slope of Beacon Hill.

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Two boys standing in a street by a demolished building

Treasures from the West End Museum Archives

Step into the past and experience history interactively at the West End Museum’s exclusive event: Treasures from the West End Museum Archives. Join us for an unforgettable evening as we delve into the captivating stories and artifacts that offer a window into the West End’s rich history.

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