The late David Schirmer (1919-2010) first traveled to the Iberian Peninsula before the Portuguese revolution of 1974, taking photographs that are still relevant today, according to Douglas Wheeler, curator of the Portsmouth Athenaeum's new exhibit. "They evoke the timeless quality of Portuguese life -- fishermen on the shore, oxen on the roads, the old Portugal that is still there," Wheeler said. "You can still see scenes like this." (Continued below)

Wheeler, a professor of history emeritus at University of New Hampshire became friends with David and Regina "Reggie" Schirmer in the mid-1980s, when the couple moved to Portsmouth.

"It started off with a business connection, then he fell in love with the country," Wheeler said of Schirmer's trips to Portugal over the decades.

Seventeen of Schirmer's black-and-white photographs will be featured in "Portraits of Portugal," which opens Friday, April 20, in the Randall Gallery. The exhibit also includes several photos of Spain and Morocco and a selection of historic, decorative objects.

One image captures the medieval walled town of Obidos, in central Portugal."It's just a haunting picture," Wheeler said of the fog-shrouded fortified city.

Wheeler has traveled to Portugal many times himself, starting in 1961. In his 47-year association with UNH, he has specialized in the country's history, especially its relationship with Angola, once a Portuguese colony in Africa. For his scholarship and teaching on Portuguese history and culture, Wheeler has been decorated twice, earning Portugal's Order of Prince Henry The Navigator in 1993 and the Order of Merit in 2004.

Wheeler will give two lectures in the Athenaeum Reading Room: "Portugal: The History," on May 1 at 7 p.m. and "Portugal: The Politics," on May 8 at 7 p.m. Reservations are required; call 603-431-2538.

The free exhibit will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Athenaeum, 6-8 Market Square. The Athenaeum is a nonprofit membership museum and library founded in 1817.