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Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’
a few flowers from the weekend
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, beauty, colors, flowers, gardening, Inspiration, Photography, urban landscape on June 15, 2015| 3 Comments »
eagles and lambs
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, Charles R. Lamb, City Beautiful, design, Doris Ulmann, eagles, history, Inspiration, J & R Lamb Studios, Katherine Lamb Tait, lambs, lecterns, Photography, Trinity Church on June 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Charles R. Lamb, photo by Doris Ulmann
Recently I photographed the eagle lectern at Trinity Church in Copley Square, Boston. That day I had grown impatient with color and switched to black and white. And thankfully so because the play of light and shadows across the bird’s form revealed wonderful details. That lectern, original to the historic landmark (1877), was designed by Charles R. Lamb of J & R Lamb Studios of New York.
J & R Lamb Studios, established by brothers Joseph and Richard Lamb in 1857 and still in operation today, is most well-known for its stained glass creations. In fact, the company’s artists produced designs for a range of furnishings, metalwork and interior architecture as well. Charles Lamb (1860-1942), son of Joseph, left school at 16 to join his father and uncle at the studio. He would eventually take over management of the company.
Design drawing for metalwork: Chiro chalice with grapevines, by Charles R. Lamb
His brother Frederick Stymetz Lamb would become head designer and oversee the studio’s artists who included Charles Lamb’s wife, Ella Condie Lamb. Charles’s daughter Katherine Lamb Tait would become head designer after WWII.
Katherine Lamb Tait
Over the course of his individual career, Charles Lamb would focus on urban planning and help pioneer the concept of City Beautiful. Most of the short biographies I found describe him as an innovator with ideas ahead of their time. Though during his professional life, he enabled the creation of much bright beauty, the latter part of his life may have been a bit dark. On February 22, 1942 he passed away at his home, Lamb’s Lane, in Cresskill, NJ. He was 82.
Design drawing for stained glass window “The Lamb on Mount Zion and Four-Square City of New Jerusalem” showing lamb with and elaborate detailing including grape/leaf border and Jerusalem/architectural motif
In 2003 and 2004, the Library of Congress acquired nearly 2500 drawings and sketches as well business records and photographs from the Lamb Studios. They are accessible to the public via this link: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/lamb/. An incredible resource for artists and historians.
Design drawing for two stained glass windows with grapevine vegetal design
Sources & Additional Reading
Lamb Studios Archive at Library of Congress
Lamb Studios History by Barea Lamb Seeley
Corning Museum of Glass – Historical Perspectives: Katherine Lamb Tait
Charles R. Lamb image courtesy of Doris Ulmann Photographic Collection, 1915-1925, University of Kentucky
and the dill …
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged abstract, black and white, dill, food, food photography, herbs, Inspiration, Photography on June 13, 2015| 3 Comments »
an orchid
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged abstract, beauty, colors, flower, indoor gardening, Inspiration, nature, orchid, Photography on June 13, 2015| 6 Comments »
spring colors in the city
Posted in Branches, Nature Notes, tagged colors, Inspiration, nature, Photography, Somerville, urban landscape on June 8, 2015| 3 Comments »
hope
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, education, emancipation, faith, George Peabody, history, Inspiration, Photography, Robert C. Winthrop, slavery, stained glass windows, Trinity Church in the City of Boston on June 7, 2015| 1 Comment »
“The influence of education, or of the want of education, on the welfare of our land can have no territorial limits or boundary lines. … Colleges in South Carolina or Tennessee or Virginia are United States colleges, and are as important to the welfare of the country as Yale or Harvard or Columbia. Illiteracy and ignorance are no mere local dangers, whether among whites or blacks. They are dangers to law and order and true liberty everywhere; and he that does most to eradicate them anywhere may claim no second place on the role of a comprehensive patriotism.”
Robert C. Winthrop (1809-1894)
In 1892, two years before his death, Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, spoke these rather timeless words at the annual meeting of the Peabody Trustees. For twenty-five years he had been President of the Peabody Education Fund, a philanthropic enterprise established by his friend George Peabody in 1867 to promote education initiatives in the post-Civil War southern states. It was a fund created with the best of intentions that had short and long-term positive impacts as well as controversies. I learned about the fund and Robert C. Winthrop after I photographed details from Hope, a stained glass window in the north transept of Trinity Church.
Detail from stained glass window, Hope, by Burlison & Grylls of London, 1877-1878
Most often after I photograph stained glass windows, I research the story depicted in the window or research the designers of the window. But this time I was curious about who had commissioned the artwork. In an 1888 document providing an historical and descriptive account of the parish and the Copley Square building, the author writes, “This window is typical of Hope, the motto of the Winthrop arms. The greater part of the window is occupied by two angels, each of whom is holding a scroll.” And then at the bottom there is a Latin quotation signifying, “A surviving son to the best of parents.”
Details from stained glass window, Hope, by Burlison & Grylls of London, 1877-1878
The son was Robert C. Winthrop and you can read more about him via this detailed Wikipedia article, and in this Mass Historical Society article about interactions between Winthrop and Frederick Douglass. As for the window designed by Burlison & Grylls …
I feel like I have a greater appreciation of its beauty and look forward to continuing to photograph and share its details. Until then, learn more about Trinity Church and its art and architecture at http://trinitychurchboston.org/art-history
beauty submerged
Posted in Inspiration, tagged abstract, beauty, collaboration, colors, Inspiration, moonstone, Photography, stone, water on June 2, 2015| 1 Comment »
A friend recently asked me to photograph her moonstones. As I wrapped up my photo shoot, I decided to submerge one of the stones in a glass of tap water. That’s all that is … a rock beneath water.
what other seeds have produced
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged colors, edible flowers, edible plants, flowers, indoor gardening, Inspiration, Photography on June 1, 2015| 1 Comment »
I thought this particular pot held the Empress of India Nasturtium. I’ve been waiting for the bright red flowers but so far all the flowers are this amazing bright orange.
In a medium black bowl I planted my cousin’s viola seeds. After a near fatal encounter with a too bright sun and too little water, so far all goes well.
nectarine
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged curiosity, food, food photography, fruit, indoor gardening, Inspiration, nectarine, Photography, seeds on June 1, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The fruit was purchased at a roadside stand, warm red exterior and bright gold interior. Sweet and tangy. A delightful treat. And now I have this seed. To plant or not to plant? 😉
honeysuckle abstractions
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged abstract, beauty, colors, honeysuckle, Inspiration, landscape, memories, monarch butterflies, nature, nature photography, Photography, plants, storytelling, vines on May 31, 2015| 3 Comments »
As a child I remember a wire fence separating our house and yard from that of the neighbor’s. Along this fence twined the milkweed vines so thick that we were sometimes a stop for errant monarch butterflies. And there entwined amidst these sturdy vines were the delicate strands of the honeysuckle.
A friend taught me how to harvest the nectar. Quite tasty though I did wonder how long would it take to fill a glass or even just a thimble.
Sometimes I’d attempt to braid the vines to make tiny crowns for my dolls’ heads (because my brothers would not deign to wear them). The flowers adorned play dough cakes and moist mud pies. With hindsight, I wish that I had placed them upon the dark red mulberries that I once handed to my dad on a tea set plate.
Just some of the thoughts that came to mind as I recently stood next to a wall of honeysuckle.
Words + Images 