Hank O’Neal, Grub Stakes Furnished, Packard’s Camps, Sebec, 1977. Photograph (vintage negative/modern print). Courtesy of the artist — Hank O’Neal, *Grub Stakes Furnished, Packard’s Camps, Sebec*, 1977. Photograph (vintage negative/modern print). Courtesy of the artist

Hank O’Neal, Old Church on Lake Hebron, Monson, 1979. Photograph (vintage negative/modern print). Courtesy of the artist — Hank O’Neal, *Old Church on Lake Hebron, Monson*, 1979. Photograph (vintage negative/modern print). Courtesy of the artist

Hank O’Neal: Population Not Many

Hank O'Neal

June 17 – November 8, 2026

221 N Main St
Greensburg, PA 15601

In 1973, Hank O’Neal made his first trip to Maine to visit renowned photographer Berenice Abbott. After he took a photograph of her with a Polaroid SX-70 she offered to teach him her craft, but only if he got a “real camera.” He returned the following year with Deardorff view camera. She gave him a 30-minute lesson and the advice, “Don’t take photographs willy-nilly.”

Until Abbott’s death in 1991, O’Neal made frequent trips to visit her and refine his skills as a photographer. While his friend and mentor preferred black and white photography, O’Neal tried to convince her of the virtues of color film as they captured the desolate scenes of inland Maine. O’Neal made his last trip there in 1998 with Abbott’s closest friends to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday. He has not been back since.

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