QV LIFE
The Old Neighborhood A new book of old photographs offers a glimpse of Queen Village as it was 50 years ago. By Richard De Wyngaert Richard De Wyngaert caught up with photographer Will Brown, formerly of Queen Village, to talk about his new book, South of South Street. Its a release focused on his 1970s-era collection of photographs that captured the essence of a rapidly changing Southwark District. (top right) Cover photograph: Three Men, 1971; (top left) Floyd and Friend-Fulton Street, 1973 [taken at 417 Fulton Street]; (bottom left) Ben’s, 1972 [324 Kater Street]
QUEEN VILLAGE QUARTERLY CRIER \\ SPRING 2022
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mbarking on their artistic journeys in the 1970s, both individually and as a newly married couple, Will and Emily Brown were searching for a commu-
nity. Will, a photographer and professor at Swarthmore, along with Emily, a painter, were keenly interested in the faceted rehabilitation they observed going on in Philadelphia—particularly in Society Hill and Queen Village. They decided the Southwark District would provide the nutrients of a rich beginning—a diverse neighborhood both in people and architecture providing the literal and figurative space to build a community and grow their art. They put down roots in Queen Village.