Waltham Rediscovered in Portraits

"Waltham Rediscovered in Portraits" is a permanent exhibit of photographs from the book Waltham Rediscovered: An Ethnic History of Waltham, MA by Kristen A. Petersen (1988). This exhibition, like the book, was created to help educate the people of Waltham about the city's diverse ethnic heritage and to foster a sense of community in the city.

To learn more about the people in these portraits, follow the "Browse Families" link at the top of the page.

While this exhibition highlights those who came to Waltham in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the immigrant experience transcends cultural boundaries as well as time. Although each ethnic group has its own unique traditions, language, and history, people of any heritage can identify with the early immigrants' challenges of cultural assimilation. 

The "Waltham Rediscovered in Portraits" exhibit opened at the Waltham Public Library on October 22, 1996 in the Waltham Room. The portraits moved to their current location in 2022, and this online exhibit was created between 2023 and 2024*. 

For more information about this exhibit or about the library's special collection about Waltham Rediscovered, please contact the archivist

*Online exhibit built by Dana Hamlin and Margaret Eckstein. Information about the families featured in the portraits was gathered from Waltham Rediscovered, the Records of Waltham Rediscovered, Inc. (special collection held at the Waltham Public Library), and Ancestry.com.