56 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • JUNE 29, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Step back into Queens in the 1950s at this new art exhibit
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Longtime Flushing resident Frank
Oscar Larson was a fi rst-generation
Swedish immigrant and family man who
served in World War I, according to
grandson, Soren Larson.
A banker by day, Larson found solace
from the everyday stresses of life in
a variety of hobbies, including music,
wood carving and, most fondly, photography.
“I had known that my grandfather was
an amateur photographer, but the only
ones I’d ever seen were 3×4 inches,”
Soren Larson said. “I had no idea the
extent of what he did.”
Th e change came in 2009 when Larson’s
mother, who lives in Maine, discovered a
box of Frank’s undeveloped negatives,
and asked if Soren would like to have
them.
“My interest in the negatives, at that
point, was mainly family-related,” Larson
said.
In addition to uncovering a wealth of
family photos, Larson was surprised to
fi nd hundreds of photographs depicting
1950s life in New York City, fully revealing
his grandfather’s talent behind the
lens.
Now, in collaboration with the Queens
Historical Society, the devoted grandson
has brought a focused look at the artist’s
work to Flushing Town Hall.
Titled “Taking it to the Streets: 1950s
New York Th rough the Lens of Flushing
Photographer Frank Oscar Larson,” the
exhibit features photos mainly of the
city’s diverse working class. Viewers can
also see some of the borough’s familiar
sites, including Flushing Kissena Park
and the Astoria pool, as they appeared
mid-century.
“I want to show people that you can
develop a love for something outside of
your work, and it can become a defi ning
aspect of your life,” Larson said of
the exhibit.
“When viewed over 60 years later, we
still see ourselves in Larson’s work, even
if New York has changed around us,” said
Flushing Town Hall’s director of education
Photos by Frank Oscar Larson
and public programs, Gabrielle
Hamilton, who curated the event with
Richard Hourahan, collections manager
for the Queens Historical Society.
Th e exhibit will be on display until Aug.
6 and includes over 30 of Larson’s photographs.
Gallery hours are on Saturdays
and Sundays between noon and 5 p.m.
Th e exhibit is free, with a $5 suggested
donation.
Flushing Town Hall is located at 137-
35 Northern Blvd. For more information,
visit Flushing Town Hall’s website or call
718-463-7700 extension 222.