Exhibit: Oren W. Hills, Photographer

Oren W. Hills, Photographer showcases 32 recently-discovered photographs from the Vermont Historical Society’s collection by Montpelier photographer Oren W. Hills.

Born in Montpelier in 1891, Hills began his career as a photographer, taking photographs for gazetteers and yearbooks before expanding his services to portraits. His body of work included studio photography, crime scene documentation, newspaper assignments, promotional photos, and more. When the United States entered the First World War, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an aerial photographer. When he died in 1975, he left most of his work to the Vermont Historical Society.

The photographs on display for this exhibit date to the earliest part of his career, from 1911 to his wartime photography, and were reproduced from the original glass plate negatives. Hills was known for capturing everyday scenes of Vermont life through his photographs, and the images selected for this exhibit showcase the locations and people who lived in Vermont a century ago. You can see some additional photographs from Hill’s portfolio on Digital Vermont.

Oren W. Hills, Photographer is on view through June 2025.