Chiles Larson, a member of the College of William and Mary class of 1953, spent his career primarily in public relations, television news and advertising. However, his first love has always been photography.

He first published a photograph at age 11 in the Virginian-Pilot, where his father served as an editor. Six years later, Larson began working as a staff photographer at the paper. In 1951, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served as a photographer during the Korean War. When he returned to the College to finish his degree, he also accepted a position as a photographer for Colonial Williamsburg. The next year, he met National Geographic photographer Tom Abercrombie. That relationship led to a photo assignment for Larson with the magazine.

Though Larson moved his career into the areas of television news, public relations, and advertising after college, he never stopped taking photos. His interest in sailing provided great photographic opportunities for Larson, who published cover shots in Sail, Yachting, and an America’s Cup shot in Sports Illustrated.

In 1967, he was commissioned to take photos for a book on the Peruvian Central Railroad. In the 1990s, he produced his first book, Virginia’s Past Today, which includes 24 essays and more than 220 images. The Virginia Historical Society created an exhibition of images from that book, which toured throughout the state. His most recent book, Barboursville Vineyards: Crafting Great Wines Inspired by Spirits of the Past, was published in 2008. His photos have also been included in a Chrysler Museum photo exhibition.

Images of the installed exhibit are available at the SCRC's Flickr page.

Curator: Chiles Larson; Exhibit design and installation: Chandi Singer, Burger Archives Assistant, Ellen Cloyed, Serials Cataloger, Justin Ferrell, SCRC Student Assistant.