Christmas Reflections

Verner Reed’s photographs preserve moments large and small of how New Englanders lived 60 years ago.

When Verner Reed (1923–2006) came upon this group of children gazing into the window of a toy store along Boston’s Washington Street at Christmas in 1955, he captured, unmistakably, a little girl’s wonder and ever-hopeful yearning. He titled it Christmas Reflections, Boston, 1955, and it became one of some 26,000 prints and negatives that eventually joined Historic New England’s Verner Reed photographic collection (1950–72).

During his lifetime, Reed pushed himself to master as many creative endeavors, it seemed, as possible. He became one of the most accomplished photographic chroniclers of New England, with his shots featured in numerous news-papers and national magazines, including Life. He was also a furniture maker, a silversmith, a jewelry maker—as well as a farmer and even for a while a restaurant owner in Stowe, Vermont. But his enduring legacy remains the photos he captured as he roamed Boston’s streets and as much of off-road New England as he could find. Historic New England offers a glimpse of Reed’s special eye for detail at its website: historicnewengland.org/collections-archives-exhibitions/online-exhibitions/verner-reed

Since 1994, Historic New England has been the keeper of a collection of more than 2,000 images of New England life, mostly glass-plate negatives, amassed by Yankee founder Robb Sagendorph in the 1960s. See more shots from the collection at: historicnewengland.org

Mel Allen

Now editor at large, Mel Allen's first byline in Yankee appeared in 1977 and he joined the staff in 1979 as a senior editor. Eventually he became executive editor and led the staff as editor from 2006 to 2025. During his career he has edited and written for every section of the magazine, including home, food, and travel, while his pursuit of long-form storytelling has always been vital to his mission as well. He has raced a sled dog team, crawled into the dens of black bears, fished with the legendary Ted Williams, profiled astronaut Alan Shephard, and stood beneath a battleship before it was launched. He also once helped author Stephen King round up his pigs for market, but that story is for another day. Mel is author of Here in New England: Unforgettable Stories of People, Places, and Memories That Connect Us All (Earth Sky + Water LLC, 2025).

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