Photography Exhibit Portrays Life As a "Hippie"

The Cooley Gallery took a step back into time last Friday during the launch of a black and white photography exhibit, “Hippies," created by Leesburg artist Richard Busch. 

The images, taken between 1968 to 1971, portrays a common lifestyle during a time of broad political and social unrest, notable for New Left politics, the Civil Rights movement, feminism, and anti-war protests, among other things.

“It was the beginning of hippiedom,” Busch said. “There were people dressed up, acting and living like hippies all over the place. I went through a bit of a hippie phase myself for a while.”

Busch photographed a number of hippies in his own backyard, he said, including the streets of New York, Woodstock and the 1970 Alternative Media Conference in Vermont.

“I really wasn’t consciously doing a series on hippies. It just turned out that I had a lot of pictures,” Busch said. “For me, the big interest is people. There are some people who want to do architecutre and landscaping stuff and that’s fine. But for me it’s always people. I just find people interesting.”

Busch has been a photographer, editor, and writer since the 1960s. His photographs have been published in Life magazine, National Geographic Traveler, Popular Photography, Esquire, the New York Times, Newsday and other well-known publications.

His work is also represented by the Celebrity Vault in Los Angeles, CA, the Ghost Gallery in Seattle, WA, and the Granger agency in New York.

Today, he lives in a converted 180-year-old former dairy barn in Leesburg with his wife, Olwen, and continues to photograph and make prints in his very own darkroom.

“Looking back over my photographs from the last 40-plus years, I am struck by the passage of time and the realization that many of these people, once called hippies, are now in their 60s and 70s, or older, most of them undoubtedly solid members of the society they once railed against,” Busch said. “It is a bittersweet reminder that this fascinating and often wacky era has been long gone. I’m glad I was there to be a witness.”

Most importantly, Busch said he’s happy to be able to share his experiences with those who might be interested. Forty one images will be on display at the Cooley Gallery now through the end of April.

To learn more, email Richard Busch at rfbphoto@gmail.com.