The Lexington High School graduating class of 1926 was made up of 88 students – 47 men and 41 women. This photo includes individual portraits of each student, as well as those of the school’s 16 faculty members. These students were graduating in the midst of the decade known as the ‘Roaring Twenties,’ years that were filled with economic growth and social change. The rise of mass production made a wide range of products – such as radios, refrigerators and automobiles – affordable to the growing middle class, while at the same time, significant societal changes were taking place, which included the passage of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Additionally, the increasing urbanization of America had a significant societal impact, as for the first time in history, more Americans were living in cities than on farms.
James E. Purdy (1859-1933) was born in Saco, Maine and established a photo studio with business partner C.H. Howard on Tremont Street in Boston in 1896. His initial focus was on selling prints of celebrity photographs to magazines and newspapers, and in order to differentiate his work from that of his competition, Purdy offered a range of printing processes, using carbon, silver bromide and platinum to create images that ranged from subtle to dramatic. In addition to his portrait work of famous figures, ranging from actresses and artists to diplomats and clergymen, his studio also became known as the main photographer of high school classes in the Boston area for much of the 20th century.