1973 Head Start Class, Historic Photos: The Great Society, Original Photographs

Here is an original 38 print set of 8" X 10" black & white photographs Documenting "Preschool Childhood" at the Albina Childcare and Development Center (AC/DC) Head Start Program in Portland, Oregon, circa 1973. Head Start was a keystone institution of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society Program for eliminating poverty and is one of the few programs that remain intact from that era. The director of AC/DC commissioned me to create this series of curated photos for display (in a larger format) along the school's main hallway for all to see. The original concept was to produce self-esteem enhancing photos of the children at work and play, while linking each individual photo to an individual letter of the alphabet, A-Z, for a teaching moment. (See the photos for the examples "A" is for Alone, "Z" is for Zipper.)

I was a CETA funded Teacher's Aid and I made these photos while I was working and engaged with the children; they loved having their photos taken! These prints have been displayed in several local shows and published as part of a larger work of portraits. You will own both the photos and my exclusive and unlimited authorization to use them for your own purposes. These photographs were shot on Plus-X film with an Olympus Pen-F camera and 20mm lens.They were printed on 8" X 10" Agfa #2 portrait paper, dry mounted on 11" X 14" archival matte board, and are in pristine condition. The matte boards are in very good condition but some may have small edge bumps or other imperfections. Most have their particular A-Z caption and signature. Also included, as a bonus, are a number of extras and proofs, some of which have never been displayed or published.

1973 Head Start Program

That 70's Show!

What is there to say about the 70's other than they thoroughly drained the 60's swamp and replaced it with a boat load of geeks bearing their nascent computer programs which would eventually rule the world. Our Vietnam nightmare came to an end with a big "X" in the loss column. But, perhaps most striking was the wake-up call we got from OPEC when our gas pumps went dry and the price went from 32¢ to $1.19 per gallon (if you could find it). We were going nuts with anger and fear when someone called the Ayatollah came into our lives and forever changed the world's playing field.

Terrorists (Palestinians vs Israelis) held a massacre at the Munich Olympics, Airliners were hijacked, Patty Hearst was hijacked, and Kool-Aid was a quick way out of trouble. Nixon gave one last "V" for Victory, Carter ushered in the Bicentennial, Thatcher came on board, Bloody Sunday kept the Troubles brewing, The Pope was Polish, Ping Pong Played Cold War, Three Mile Island melted down, a DC-10's engine "detached" on takeoff, inflation hit 13.9% and "stagflation" was a buzzword. SkyLab went into orbit, and Betamax lost to VHS. Jobs planted Apple amid Earth Day, Deep Throat, Roe v Wade, Women's Lib, Schoolhouse Rock, Charlie's Angels, Pong, Jaws, the Walkman, and Disco Balls. Elvis Left the Building, and Rapper's Delight came in along with Mechanical Bulls, Nurse Ratched, Archie Bunker, Mork, Fonzy, Spitz, Nadia, and Muttonchops (not to be confused with Lamb Chop)! Plus: DNA, MRI, IVF, ERA, SNL, MNF, WTC, & WTF!

Maybe that gives you a sense of the 70's being the S**T show it was for many. Unfortunately, what came next was even worse. Regardless, I always keep some 70's memorabilia on hand in my "That 70's Show" for the few stragglers out there still wanting to get on board: https://www.ebay.com/str/portlandpandemonium/1970s-Show/_i.html?store_cat=38704222017

We Will Scratch Your Vintage Itch

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