Heinz exhbit ‘#Pixburgh’ offers unique look at Pittsburgh Life
Submitted Photo
Children enjoy themselves at the Tiny Boats at Pittsburgh’s Kennywood Park. This photo and others are part of the “#Pixsburgh” exhibit at the Senator John Heinz History Center. ON THE COVER: A young James Cox Barrett is ready for a day of baseball with his canine companion by his side. (Photos courtesy of the Senator John Heinz History Center.)
Submitted Photo
A young James Cox Barrett is ready for a day of baseball with his canine companion by his side. This photo and others are part of the “#Pixsburgh” exhibit at the Senator John Heinz History Center. (Photo courtesy of the Senator John Heinz History Center.)
Submitted Photo
A group of aviatrix, female pilots, pose for a photo. This photo and others are part of the “#Pixsburgh” exhibit at the Senator John Heinz History Center. (Photo courtesy of the Senator John Heinz History Center.)
Submitted Photo
A group gathers for a photo at the Ammon Pool in 1941. This photo and others are part of the “#Pixsburgh” exhibit at the Senator John Heinz History Center. (Photo courtesy of the Senator John Heinz History Center.)
Submitted Photo
A person is being rescued during the 1936 flood in Lawrenceville. This photo and others are part of the “#Pixsburgh” exhibit at the Senator John Heinz History Center. (Photo courtesy of the Senator John Heinz History Center.)
submitted photo
Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Bradshaw snaps a selfie. This photo and others are part of the “#Pixsburgh” exhibit at the Senator John Heinz History Center. (Photo courtesy of the Senator John Heinz History Center.)
Photographs offer a way to freeze time. They capture one fleeting moment in a busy life. They can serve as a reminder of sunsets, family vacations, holidays and even breakfasts long gone.
Starting Dec. 17, the Senator John Heinz History Center will give visitors the opportunity to view never before seen photos and images of the beloved three rivers city and the lives of its residents in the exhibit “#Pixburgh: A Photographic Experience.”
Leslie Przybylek, chief curator of the “#Pixburgh” exhibition, said that some of the photos in the exhibit go as far back as the 1800s.
“It is more than 150 years of photographs that we have gathered since 1879,” she said. “There are some wonderful images of early Pittsburghers. This is really (in) the 1850s and tintypes you had to sit there for what seemed like an eternity for them; 60 to 90 seconds. They almost stare back at you and look at you from a different time.”
In addition to the tintype photos from the 1860s the exhibit also features daguerreotypes from the 1850s, Polaroids and more.
Przybylek said that one of the larger collections in the exhibit came from one family where a realtive was given a camera in 1938 and she used it throughout her whole life to document everything from slumber parties to picnics in the driveway.
While the faces and lives of Pittsburghers are an essential part of the exhibit, they are not the only stars of the show.
“(There are) a lot of great images that capture those quintessential Pittsburgh places,” said Przybylek. “There are wonderful shots of the old Dinosaur Hall of the Carnegie. It was dark with the big spotlights and these kids are just sitting at the base of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.”
According to the museum’s website, the exhibit will include the following subjects: “The faces of Pittsburgh, showing the racial, ethnic and religious fabric of our region; famous landmarks, large-scale events and iconic images of the Point, the Kaufmann’s Clock and Three Rivers Stadium that help to give us a sense of place; Pittsburgh at work, highlighting the cross-section of workers that help to keep the city growing; Leisure activities that show how Pittsburghers enjoy their time off, from vacations and holiday parties to cookouts and happy hours; and a special area focusing on dogs and other pets.”
While “#Pixburgh” was created to showcase the photos that tell the story of the area, Przybylek wants people to know it won’t be a traditional photo exhibit.
“It will not necessarily be framed photos on the wall. We are using various media presentation strategies,” she said. “There really is an aspect of it that is Pittsburghers and the different ways they tell their lives. There are images that represent the different views and why people take them (photos).”
Interactive portions of the exhibit will offer visitors the opportunity to help date historic photographs, look at family albums to offer an intimate look at the everyday lives of residents, watch a Pittsburgh time machine video, take in a large-scale mural and have fun with a photo matching game that is aimed for children.
While a lot of time has passed between the first daguerreotype and the first selfie, the ability for almost anyone to own a camera and the ability for faster turn around has led to the ability to take more pictures then ever before.
“I mentioned the earlier daguerreotype you had to sit there for 60 to 90 seconds. You had a lot of photos that were taken of the deceased and those were the only pictures you had of someone. Once you put the camera in the hands of more people and it allowed them to take more pictures even if you had to send that photo in for processing, you saw the more pictures people were taking,” explained Przybylek. “Today, we take more photos and in a sense we take them for granted. As someone who gathered their children to taken an image in 1875 it meant something different. The interesting side of that is that photos have always been a social media event. It meant sharing it with future generations.”
“#Pixburgh” is included with general admission which is $16 for adults, $14 for senior citizens ages 62 and older, $6.50 for children ages 6 to 17 and children under 5 are free. There are various discounts offered for students and retired and active duty military that are explained online at the heinzhistorycenter.org.
“One of the things we take away is the awareness and the richness of our collection here and that it is part of everyone’s story,” Przybylek. “We hope that people will donate and gift images to us. We want to inspire them to think of this as an ongoing story and serve as a resource of family images and industrial images. It is an ongoing process that they can be part of too.”