The Smoking Fifties

The years following World War II represented a turning point, both historically and personally, for a talented young photographer growing up in small-town Ohio. This collection of black and white photos from the archives of Michael Philip Manheim presents small-town life in the 1950s, as well as the start of his documentary vision. Manheim's own lucid commentary on the era accompanies the images. With sympathetic but unsentimental attention, he documents the fascinating details of street scenes, dress and customs, faces and emotions of the era. These photographs allow the viewer to enter a different world, familiar to some and new to others. Some will react with a strong sense of nostalgia. For those who did not live through that period, the photos will enable a greater understanding of a time that was simpler, but had its own complications and prejudices. In capturing the small, vital moments of an America that was struggling to find itself after the upheaval of a world war, Manheim has also depicted the beginnings of his own personal growth as an artist.