Artist Statement:
This project was inspired by a series of love letters written by my grandfather to my grandmother during World War II that I found in a book next to his bed. The letters spoke of a young love, the type filled with expectations of a new life together. They connected me to my grandfather and his 59-year marriage in a way that I had not been able to connect to him in life. The letters inspired me to seek out and record the love stories of other long-married couples.
Artist Bio:
Lauren Fleishman is an American photographer based in London and New York. Born and raised in New York, she attended the School of Visual Arts and was awarded a full scholarship to study at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She has been a visiting artist at The School of Visual Arts, New School, International Center of Photography and Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a contributor to M, le magazine du Monde, The New York Times and Time Magazine. Her work is among the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute. Her book, The Lovers, was published in 2015 by Schilt Publishing.