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Posts Tagged ‘storytelling’

st. mary orthodox church

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 18, 2015| 1 Comment »

Recently (once again), I was walking down the street, this time in Cambridge, lost in thought, and chanced upon a large white wood building that I’d seen many times. A church.  Its main doors were usually locked midweek. But this day I decided to do something I’d never done before. I went around a corner and knocked at a different door, and this is what I learned.

Now located at 8 Inman Street, Cambridge, MA, in the heart of Central Square, this church was once sited in a different part of Cambridge.  In 1822, the First Universalist Society built a meeting space in Lafayette Square, Cambridge at the corner of what was then known as Main and Front Streets.  In 1858, under the architectural supervision of Thomas Silloway, the Georgian style meeting house was significantly remodeled at a cost of $8,000.

In 1888, part of the church lot was taken by the City of Cambridge for the widening of Front Street (now Massachusetts Avenue).  After careful consideration it was decided to move the building to its present location on Inman Street.  The building was cut into two parts and, as described in the church brochure, “Over a period of five days, men and horses were used to pull the building through the 40-ft. wide streets of Cambridge.  … Telephone and telegraph service were also temporarily interrupted…” When placed in the new location, a middle portion was inserted to increase the length twenty feet.  In addition to other major remodeling efforts, over time, there were at least three series of stained glass window installations. Artisans included Redding, Baird and Co., Belcher Glass Co., and an unnamed student of John LaFarge.

By 1954, the Universalist congregation had diminished to a very small number providing the opportunity for the orthodox parish of St. Mary to obtain the structure.  Later, assessed as part of the process for listing on the National Historic Register, the building was identified to have some of the rarest stained glass in the Northeast.

That particular day, I just took a quick peek, and what a delight.

Across time and despite the change in parishes, great effort has been made to protect, preserve and expand upon the stained glass windows and other interior decoration.

Please note that if you’re in the area, tours may be arranged.

I am thankful for the opportunity to visit so unexpectedly.

And I was reminded once more …you never know what a day will bring.

Sources/Additional Readings

St. Mary Orthodox Church Website

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enduring legacies

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 13, 2015| 2 Comments »

Courtesy of Trinity Archives

Photo of Charity, Courtesy of Trinity Archives

Charity is a stained glass window once located at Trinity Church in the City of Boston. It was designed by Frederic Crowninshield.  The inscription at the bottom of the window, barely legible in the above photo, reads “In memory of Cordelia Harmon, the friend of the poor and friendless. Died May 25, 1883.”  In an 1888 publication providing a descriptive account of the church, including of its windows, Harmon was described as “the Almoner of Trinity Church for many years, and through her good deeds was well known by all the poor in any way connected with the Parish.  The window was a gift of members of the Parish.”

Born in Maine, Cordelia Harmon (1820-1883) spent her adult life in the Boston area.  It is clear from surviving records that she consistently strove to help those who could least help themselves.  Regardless of good deeds done as an elementary school teacher, a nurse at Mass General Hospital or serving people through programs offered by her church, Harmon appears to have never turned her eyes away from the wrongs that remained around her.

One of the church-supported programs that she participated on was The Ladies’ Relief Agency.  As a part of that charity’s design, every application submitted seeking assistance was investigated, including a home visit.  Through such visits, and no doubt her work with other charities, Harmon was able to see firsthand the lack of support for those with chronic diseases, people who were turned away from hospitals, and many of whom had no family to care for them.  She would write:  “How can a man, breathing fetid air, living in the squalor and debasement that abound, where the poor most do congregate and often of necessity, feel hope or courage to rise above his condition?”

Harmon imagined creating a home for those people where they could live a good life until the end of their days.  It was an idea that she would discuss with Phillips Brooks, the rector of Trinity Church.  He would help her raise the funds to open The Boston Home for the Incurables in 1881.  Harmon would work at this home until she “died at her post” in 1883.  Phillips Brooks was traveling abroad when he learned of Harmon’s death.  In a letter to his brother he wrote:

Despite his expression of not feeling well-fitted to do the work of Cordelia Harmon, upon his return to Boston, Phillips Brooks did continue her legacy.  In 1883, Trinity formed The Committee for the Establishment of The Boston Home for Incurables to raise funds to expand upon Harmon’s idea.  Funds raised helped the Home to acquire a larger facility and accommodate more patients.  It would continue to expand and refine its services over the next 130 years.  Today, the Boston Home is a respected, model institution serving nearly 100 residents.

Charity, designed by Frederic Crowninshield,

The only known surviving image of the Harmon window is a black and white photo taken in the 1920s. In the center of the image, a woman and two children, destitute.  To the left, a figure with head bowed, the weight of the world upon his shoulders.  Standing amidst them is Jesus.  And above them all, in capital letters, is the text:  Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  The window did not survive major renovations that took place in the 1950s. The window may be gone but the memory and legacy of Miss Cordelia Harmon lives on and continues to evolve.

 

Sources, Additional Reading, Etc.

http://www.thebostonhome.org/

https://www.givingcommon.org/profile/1072657/the-boston-home-inc/

September 19, 2014 article with video: http://assistivetech.scripts.mit.edu/blog/finding-a-home/

Charity postcard with insert about Harmon available at Trinity Church Bookshop

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lost and found in the shadow of the back bay

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 7, 2015| 1 Comment »

In the shadow of the Back Bay is how the brochure describes the location of Our Lady of Victories Catholic Shrine.  I chanced upon the church yesterday after a meeting.  Crossing a street, I actually saw the back of the building first, an old brick structure with darkened windows that clearly had to be stained glass.  I made my way to the front of the building, studying the exterior and wondering if I might contact someone, some day, to ask if I might photograph the interior.

“Do you want to go inside the church?” A large man stood across the street.  He seemed to be in a hurry because he didn’t even wait for my answer before saying, “Just go down those stairs over there.” Then he continued on his way.

I went down the stairs into a little alleyway. There were a couple of older gentlemen there having a smoke. They greeted me kindly, and again without really waiting for me to say I wanted to enter the church, they directed me through a side door.

Inside was dark and warm. People moved about a bit in the shadows and I could hear a few sounds.  I could see no stained glass windows though.  Then, to my right, a gentleman walked from a side room.  He smiled and said, “You can come on in.  We’re just watching a movie.”

I thanked him for the offer, and said, “Actually, sir, I was wondering if I could go inside the church upstairs where the windows are.” His grin widened, and he said, “Of course. Just go back outside and up the stairs.  The doors are open.”

That’s what I did and following is a bit of what I saw.  There are quite a few images so please enjoy at your leisure. You can read more about the church’s history via this link.  In the future I hope to post more about the architecture and about the primary window designer, Franz Xaver Zettler.  And, by the way, I believe that the gentlemen who were so kind to me, were themselves being helped.  Located in the basement of the church is the Medeiros Center for Change.

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sunday blues and musings

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2015| 15 Comments »

Blues 1

Blue Rose in the Hall

Maybe it was fear that made the young men shout “Nooooo!” as I stood next to a For Sale sign in front of a house in a suburb outside of Boston.  Fear of change, fear of something different coming into their midst.  And maybe it was fear that made a woman look me up and down as I questioned her entrance into a building (part of my job at the time).  As she left the building she made sure to look at me in that same way and I had to think, “Well, if looks could kill, I’d be six feet under.” And maybe it was fear that made the waitress do some things during a meal, such that once I’d left the restaurant with my friend (whose favorite restaurant it was), she said, “I’m sorry.  I didn’t expect that to happen.”

Now if I were to say that all of those fairly recent events happened, in part, because all the other individuals were white and I am black … well, I think there are folks who might say, as is often said today, why does everything have to be attributed to race?  Because race does matter.  As does class, gender, and economics. It all matters.  But here’s why race stands out for me:  slavery. “Slavery ended,” someone said to me once. “Why keep bringing that up?”

Born in the 1970s USA, I have never been a slave.  I have never been shackled or forced to give up a child or beaten if I tried to put pen to paper or pick up a book.  I’ve never stood in a market while an overseer pointed out my attributes so that someone might buy me as a companion for their children or an extra servant in the kitchen.  Never needed to carry papers proving freedom (or ownership), nor been branded, or had to hope that my master would free our children in his will.

As former slaves did about 150 years ago, I’ve never been in a position of celebrating freedom and, on the other hand, having to deal with the realities of having little but the clothes on my back and waiting for forty acres and a mule.  Never had to deal with “separate but equal” or segregated schools (my older brothers did who were born in the 1950s and 1960s).  Never been in a position or location where I had the right to vote but other forces, those perhaps suffering from fear of change, were putting strategies into place to prevent me from voting (my parents dealt with that).

Nor have I had to watch a loved one (or even a stranger) brutally beaten, mutilated, hung from a tree or a telephone pole, and burned.  I’ve heard a few stories from older family, watched the documentaries and read quite a few articles.  When I read the stories of lynching, especially in old newspapers recently digitized, and see the images, I cry.  I cry for the people who died, the people who watched and tried to help, and even for the people who watched and did nothing.  I did wonder what the people who did nothing were thinking? And what about the people who sang and danced and even cut off parts for souvenirs or mailed those parts to white politicians trying to effect some change?

For some, did the actions they witnessed mean nothing because the people to whom the deeds were done looked nothing like them?  Or was it just that they did not know what to do? Were some people truly scared or were they simply seeking pleasure in establishing control over another?  All of those incidents are part of the fabric of this country, as are the people, of all races and backgrounds, who fought to end slavery, the people who fought to end routine lynchings and the people who continue to fight for economic and voting rights for all people.

Yes, I do indeed bring up slavery and other injustices from the so-called past because of present-day incidents like in Ferguson.   Slavery is an institution, one of many, that this country has yet to deal with. I don’t care about politics or how people choose to identify themselves in this country as Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, Libertarian and so on.   Political labels and tenets change over time.  But what about human behavior?  How has that changed over time?  Or has it?  Why do we treat people the way that we do?

You can “follow the money” in terms of why slavery was entrenched in this country for so long.  Economics, economics, economics.  In too many venues of late, I have read people saying stop talking about race and focus on the economic issues in a Ferguson.  Of course, economics is an issue and powerful factor leading to injustices happening in many communities.  But it comes down to a bit more than money to treat people as inferior or to hear their screams of pain and laugh or to make assumptions about their children’s ability to learn regardless of resources provided for education.  And it is about more than economics to see all those things taking place around you and to do nothing. To some extent, I feel little right to judge others because I do not always know what to do as I learn about the horrors around me, in this country and abroad.  I do know with regard to slavery and the seeds that were planted that continue to sprout, I do not want to forget.

I’ve been researching the past, including slave times, quite a bit of late for various projects as well as to better understand current events.  In the remembering, and rediscoveries, I don’t come to hate people who look different than me.  Not at all.  A part of me mourns.  I mourn the horrors, and I also celebrate the courage of so many different peoples, their hopes, their activism and their creativity in finding the beauty in this life.  And I celebrate such in the people who are active today.

As a final note in my Sunday ramblings, if you chose to read so far, … I came upon a 1920s newspaper article about a lynching. The reporter recounted that witnesses heard the dying man sing a song with his last breaths as the flames consumed him.  I looked up the song and came upon the following 1950s rendition by Sam Cooke.  A powerful piece.

 

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interlude extra: erich stenger

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 1, 2015| 4 Comments »

Previous Interludes

Portrait Eric Stenger, 1906, Museum Ludwig, Foto (c) Rheinisches Bildarchiv

Portrait Eric Stenger, 1906, Museum Ludwig, Foto (c) Rheinisches Bildarchiv

At the end of one letter, Dr. Erich Stenger writes, “I am up to my neck in work again and often regret that we did not get together more while you were here. There would have been so much more to show and to discuss. The director of the Kodak Museum B. Newhall has announced his visit. And when will YOU be returning to Germany?” (excerpt from 1950 letter from Stenger to Joseph A. Horne)

Erich Stenger (1878-1957) was a noted photographic historian and collector.  He trained as a chemist.  He worked during the early days of photography when photography was viewed more as a science rather than art.  In 1905, he would join the faculty of the Technische Hochschule in Berlin as an assistant instructor in the photographic department.  In the early 1900s, he co-wrote papers on The Fundamental Principles of Three-Colour Photography, and Radiation Sensitiveness of Silver Bromide Gelatin for White, Green and Orange Light.  By 1934, he was named to the chair of photography founded in 1864 by Hermann Wilhelm Vogel, a post he would retain until his retirement as Professor Emeritus in 1945.  He began building his photography collection as a student and would do so until the end of his days.

Portrait Franz Grainer, 1920er Jahre, Museum Ludwig, FH 2438, Foto: © Rheinisches Bildarchiv

Portrait Franz Grainer, 1920er Jahre, Museum Ludwig, FH 2438, Foto: © Rheinisches Bildarchiv

His collection was diverse, from landscapes to portraits, to decorative framed items to caricatures about photography.  Beaumont Newhall wrote that “At the time of World War II, his collection was said to be the largest in private hands anywhere in the world.”

Hermann Wilhelm Vogel: Dreifarbendruck nach Verfahren: Vogel-Ulrich. Aufnahme nach Ölgemälde und natürlichen Schmetterlingen 1892 Museum Ludwig, FH 10248, Foto: © Rheinisches Bildarchiv

Hermann Wilhelm Vogel: Dreifarbendruck nach Verfahren: Vogel-Ulrich.
Aufnahme nach Ölgemälde und natürlichen Schmetterlingen 1892
Museum Ludwig, FH 10248, Foto: © Rheinisches Bildarchiv

Beaumont Newhall (1908-1993), referred to in Stenger’s letter, was a pioneering historian and first curator of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Self Portrait at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1970.

Beaumont Newhall, Self Portrait, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1970.

Over his career, he would write five editions of the signature work, The History of Photography.  In 1945-1946, the Roberts Commission would recommend him as a good candidate for the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archive unit.  Paul J. Sachs described Newhall “as one of the best men for library work.”

Newhall’s name appeared on one of the last lists of qualified officer personnel that the Roberts Commission presented to the War Department, indicating that “the only alternative after this is enlisted men.”  Newhall would not be assigned to the unit.  After discharge, Newhall returned to the U.S., continuing his research, lecturing, and curating photography exhibits.  In 1948, he became the first Curator of Photography at the Kodak Eastman House in Rochester, NY and would serve as its director from 1958-1971.

One of those enlisted men who would join the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archive unit was Joseph Anthony Horne.  And as part of that unit, Horne would meet Dr. Erich Stenger and learn of his unique photographic collection. Exactly when and where Horne first met Stenger in postwar Germany is unclear but the friendship they developed, as indicated through correspondence about everything from photography to family, would endure for a decade. That friendship must have stemmed from a mutual love of photography. Horne had been a photographer with the Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information (FSA-OWI).

Horne’s MFA&A colleague Paul Vanderbilt, during an Investigation Trip to Interview German Authorities and Inspect Private Papers, reports meeting Stenger in September 1946:

Vanderbilt recommended:

Horne certainly met Stenger at a December 1946 meeting of photographers and photographic scientists “to discuss the present situation of the photographic trade and industry in Germany.” Mr. Horne had been invited to attend by the Berlin Press Photographers Guild.  In his report following the meeting, he echoed Vanderbilt’s recommendations that Stenger be aided in reassembling his photographic collection, a collection spread across a divided postwar Germany.

"Germany occupation zones with border" by US Army - Modified version of http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/other/us-army_germany_1944-46_map3.htm. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Germany_occupation_zones_with_border.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Germany_occupation_zones_with_border.jpg

Germany Occupation Zones 1946

It is unclear from available records how helpful Horne, Vanderbilt and the other Monuments Men were in helping Dr. Stenger rebuild his collection in a post-war, rapidly becoming Cold War, world. What is clear is that this unit of librarians, archivists and those dedicated to preserving and sharing knowledge, felt strongly about helping this gentleman as much as they could.

As the socio-political landscape of Europe changed, and with it the U.S. presence, Horne prepared to move on to other positions within the U.S. foreign services.  Regardless, he and Stenger stayed in touch, corresponding about family and photography, and perhaps even their shared interest in stamp collecting.  Horne would highlight opportunities for Stenger to exhibit photography, and Stenger provided updates on the health of his collection.

“The day after tomorrow I will be going to Switzerland, where I have been asked to come to deliver a few scientific lectures. I will be back home in mid-November. While in Switzerland, where I used to make annual purchases from merchants who knew what I was collecting, I will once again be on the look-out for my collection. Not having been back in eleven years, most of the merchants won’t remember me. Recently I was able to acquire some very special objects here in Germany; considering the awful destruction, I marvel that here and there something useful still pops up.” (excerpt from 1950 letter from Stenger to Joseph A. Horne)

Henry Traut Porträt, München, Museum Ludwig, FH 11936 1932 Foto: Rheinisches Bildarchiv, rba_d036895

Henry Traut, Porträt, München, Museum Ludwig,
1932, Foto: Rheinisches Bildarchiv

In 1955, Stenger’s diverse collection was purchased by the company Agfa, and today it complements a number of other collections as part of the Photographic Collection of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne.  Stenger died in September 1957, and as Beaumont Newhall states in a later editorial, the world of photography lost a foremost historian and collector.

 

 Sources and Additional Readings

The Photographic Collection of the Museum Ludwig

Image Magazine, 1958, incl. editorial on Dr. Erich Stenger

press page about the Stenger Collection

About Beaumont Newhall (International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum)

Beaumont Newhall (Scheinbaum & Russek LTD)

Oral History Interview Beaumont Newhall

More about Paul Vanderbilt

Source of historical military records

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4 works in progress for the spring

Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2015| 1 Comment »

Spring will come! Meanwhile, here are a few projects that I’m working on.

1. New postcards coming to the Trinity Church Bookshop.  Most of my previous images have focused on details of the stained glass windows.  These new images highlight the wall paintings, murals and the interesting play of winter light across the unique architectural features of the building.

2. Moving forward with the Interludes.  Interludes is a collection of historical vignettes composed of words and images relating in someway to the life journey of Joseph A. Horne (1911-1987).  My research into his life began, in part, out of curiosity sparked by stories that he’d told his son and his son would later share with me.

Researching his life became a walk through history as I learned about orphan trains, immigration, the Depression, the Farm Security Administration, photography used at home and in war, and then there was the Monuments, Fine Arts & Archives program.  What a delight to share with his son, “Hey, did you know your dad was one of the Monuments Men?”

In addition to my main chapters, there are “interlude extras.”  Please check out previous posts here:  interludes TOC.  Coming soon Mr. Horne’s correspondence in the 1940s and 1950s with photographic historian and collector, Dr. Erich Stenger, and the complexities of operating the Offenbach Archival Depot.

3. Collecting and Sharing “Lost” Stories. It’s not so much that most of the stories are lost.  I just think that some portions of these stories could be more widely known.

For instance, it’s not so much sharing the technical story of this stained glass window designed by Frederic Crowninshield in the 1880s (which was sadly dismantled in the 1950s).  What I’m looking forward to sharing is the story of the remarkable Bostonian for whom the window was created and whose legacy is still being felt today.

I’m also looking forward to sharing even a small portion of the story of an African American architect who started out designing stained glass in the late 1800s before moving on to design buildings, and even starting an architecture department, before his death in the late 1920s.  Researching this man’s life has opened my eyes to the role of African Americans in architecture.  It has also given me a new perspective on the complexities of life, within and across ethnicities, as America forever dances (and fences) with the idea of becoming a “melting pot.” Stay tuned.

4. More Food Photography.  Well, when you’re stuck in a “snow globe” after many successive snowstorms, and your favorite place to work at home is the warm kitchen, you can start to have a lot of fun photographing food.  We’ll see what the rest of this wintry culinary season has to hold for me and my camera.

chive sprouts

chive sprouts

Moro

Moro

That’s the scoop. Stay warm!

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and then there was the hawk

Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 11, 2015| 5 Comments »

To be honest, I was trying to photograph a rooftop icicle.  I was playing around with the camera zoom when a distant shadow caught my attention.  It was a hawk landing on top of a telephone pole with a pigeon in its grip.

There were people walking around below, and big vehicles scooping up the snow, but no one ever looked up.  And so over the next two hours the hawk dined, unbothered, until nothing was left of its dinner.

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endless inspiration

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 1, 2015| 3 Comments »

One of my favorite exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston is the Endless Repeating Twentieth Century Modernism by Josiah McElheny.  It was installed in 2007.  Over the years, I’ve paused, stared, pondered, reflected before racing on to view whatever show or exhibit I was actually at the museum to see.  Oh, how I have admired the beauty, but only recently have I taken the time to photograph what was before me and to learn more about the artist’s intent, as well as about his creative journey.  As I learn more, mostly what I am fascinated by is how he uses glassmaking as a storytelling tool.

Via the following PBS link you can read more about McElheny and see a short video of him at work.  http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/josiah-mcelheny

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there was this icicle hanging from the roof …

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 31, 2015| 3 Comments »

With still shots I wasn’t quite capturing what I wanted to share especially when the icicle began to melt and water flowed so freely.  So I decided, for the first time, to try out the video feature on my camera.  And while I was tempted to find a tech savvy 10-year old to help me download the video, reorient it, add audio and then upload it into this blog … well, I just plundered along.  No awards will I win for the results but it was fun and I hope to keep learning how to expand what I share in words and images.

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and there’s birth …

Posted in Inspiration, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 9, 2014| 17 Comments »

Oh, yeah, that’s me.  During this merry month I was born.  While I do not tend to shout that information about, it does give me a unique opportunity to share images of the people who brought me into this complicated, beautiful world.  I still have this dress.  It’s a soft pink, many layered affair, with a pink silk ribbon at the neck.  Of all the outfits I must have worn as a baby, it is the only one my mother kept.  As it hung in her closet until the day she died, it now hangs in my closet on its small white hanger.  I keep contemplating getting it framed.

In this image, my mother sits with one of her sisters.  When this image was taken, I do not know.  Probably early 1950s, well before I was born.  And this is her in the 1960s, I think.

She never dressed this way around me.  I think raising four children can wear a person down.  Thank goodness, she was persistent.

Here’s my dad as a little boy during the 1930s, and then twenty years later serving in the Korean War.

I heard he could have quite the temper as a young man but I only knew of him as a gentle soul and the person who would eat anything I put into his hands, even a Milky Way candy bar where I had licked away all of the chocolate.

Pop

When I was little I asked my parents questions about the stars in the sky and never really asked about how they met.  I’ve heard rumors that my mother set sights on him before he set sights on her. He was interested in one of her sisters but somehow my mom managed to be around whenever he came visiting.  Lucky for me.

By the time I came along there were two big brothers who were kind enough to keep an eye on me and the little fellow who followed not quite two years later.

What more is there to share? Well, as an adult I am notorious for finding the bright side, and I think it is in part because I had such a bright childhood with so many good people around me helping me laugh.

I’m grateful to have these photos to share and to help me hold onto the memories.

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