Chief Harry. (Nina Kennedy)

Southampton - The Southampton Historical Museums and Research Center will be the setting for two newly commissioned photography exhibitions highlighting the history and diversity of the area. Davis Gaffga's "Shopkeepers of Southampton of Southampton" and Nancy Kennedy's "Our Southampton." Southampton Chamber of Commerce will host a special Preview reception sponsored by The Southampton Press on January 26 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at The Rogers Mansion, 17 Meeting House Lane, Southampton.

Award winning photographer Gaffga has spent the past year photographing Southampton's locally owned business with their owners and employees. Many of these stores have been in business for at least 100 years, including Herrick Hardware, still a family run business, Hildreth's Department Store (the oldest department store in America opened in 1842), Corwith Pharmacy, Corwin's Jewelers and Catena's. Gaffga has spent 35 years as an architectural and location photographer. He has documented homes and business, both locally and around the globe, for many national publications.

He recently taught an in-depth Masters level workshop in photographing architectural interiors at Long Island University.



Kennedy is the co-author of a popular series of books documenting the personal stories and recipes of residents in Southampton. The latest version edition "Our Southampton Part 3: More Family Stories & Food Traditions" was published in the summer of 2011. Kennedy took photographs of the people who told their stories and shared favorite recipes in the books. These full-sized, vibrantly colored photos tell as much about the people interviewed as their narratives do. The exhibit will also feature photos of familiar local faces, such as Harry K. Williams, John Westerhoff, Jr., Sarah Thomas and Mary "Queenie" Gilmartin. Visitors will surely recognize their friends, family or neighbors in the 40 photographs that can be seen in this exhibit. Kennedy is a former New York City advertising art director and copywriter who now works and lives in Southampton.

Artist-Jeweler Eric Messin, Elias Pelletreau Silversmith. (Davis Gaffga)

Under the visionary direction of Executive Director Tom V. Edmonds and with the back-up of a very supportive Board of Trustees involved at every level, the museum has grown beyond a simple repository for local artifacts and collections to be a living, breathing educational environment that connects directly to the community and far beyond. Exhibitions such as Mahogany Dew, the first ever exhibition of acclaimed African American artists living and working on the East End; The Squiretown Circle which showed the works of world renowned artists such as Raphael Soyer, Moses Soyer, Robert Gwathmey and David Burliuk, and the whimsical The Joys of Toys, a survey of handcrafted toys dating back to the 17th century have brought in large audiences form near and far.

"Shopkeepers of Southampton: Photographs by Davis Gaffga" and "Our Southampton: Photographs by Nina Kennedy," will open on Thursday, January 26, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Rogers Mansion in Southampton. Admission is $15. Call the Chamber at 631-283-0402 to make reservations. The exhibits will remain on view through Saturday, April 28, 2012. Museum admission is $4 for adults; free for members and children under 17. For more information, call the museum at 631-283-2494.