A woman wearing spectacles, a fancy hat, and keeping her hands warm in a fur muff looks away from the camera in this studio portrait by the artist.

Amateur photographer Harold A. Thurlow was described as a “designer of high repute” when he served as a judge for the annual photographic exhibition of the Boston Young Men’s Christian Union Camera Club in the January, 1914 issue of the Photo-Era. The artist had founded his own advertising firm bearing his name, the Harold A. Thurlow Company, Inc., in Boston, in June, 1912.

The artist won several prizes for his portraiture. In November, 1910, American Photography reported he won second prize in their monthly portrait contest for a woman with hat: …his print certainly shows a masterly space arrangement and excellent balance of light and shade. (p. 658- photo reproduced on p. 649)

Earlier in 1908, his portrait of a female model titled Meditation was awarded the $25.00 special prize winner for the best figure picture in the monthly Burr McIntosh Monthly photo contest which closed Sept. 18. It was reproduced full page in the December, 1908 issue.

Harold Andrews Thurlow: 1882-1982

A native of Newburyport, MA, some of his professional endeavors were outlined in The Babsonian, when he worked at the Babson Institute (now Babson College) in 1926:

Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University. Practical work in Sales and Advertising. New England Publicity Director for U.S. Treasury Department 1919 Thrift Campaign. Sales and Advertising Manager of Kelvinator Sales Company of New England. President of Thurlow Advertising Service, Inc., Boston. Former faculty member or Boston University, College of Business Administration. Became associate with Babson Institute as Director of Sales and Advertising Division an 1923. (1.)

1. The Babsonian, June, 1926. Babson College is a private business school in Wellesley, Massachusetts.