Photographs and thoughts on photography and camera collecting
We came across this statue and my wife immediately wanted a picture (this isn’t that picture) of herself posing with our dog in front of it. The statue has not aged well: the dog still looks rather elegant, but both it and the woman have suffered greatly from erosion. The features of both have almost worn away.
I know nothing about what, if anything, the statue represents and so far I haven’t been able to find any additional information.
I was fascinated by this vine hanging down from a tree by the road. Something about the symmetry of it appealed to me: one leaf to the left; one leaf to the right; another leaf to the left etc. Also the fact that it was so balanced, with each of the leaf clusters having five leaves. I also liked the curves of the leaves and the way the green of the leaves contrasts with the their red stems.
I liked the curving lines, the repetition of the vertical elements and the contrasts between the dark and light areas.
We recently visited the Mills Mansion in Staatsburg, NY. Since we had the dog with us so I couldn’t go on the house tour, but my wife did and found it interesting. It’s a good place to walk a dog with attractive trails along the river and some nice views out towards the Catskills.
According to the Friends of Mills Mansion Website:
Originally built in 1832 and greatly expanded in the 1890’s, Mills Mansion (also known as Staatsburgh) is emblematic of the great country estates built in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to house America’s wealthiest families.
Staatsburgh is a New York State Historic Site located within the boundaries of Mills-Norrie State Park. It is an elegant example of the great estates built by America’s financial and industrial leaders during the Gilded Age.
A 25-room Greek Revival structure was built on the site in 1832 by Morgan Lewis and his wife, Gertrude Livingston, replacing an earlier house that had burned down. This second house was inherited by Ruth Livingston Mills, wife of noted financier and philanthropist Ogden Mills.
In 1895, Mr. and Mrs. Mills commissioned the prestigious New York City architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White to remodel and enlarge their Staatsburg home. After completion in 1896, the house was transformed into a Beaux-Arts mansion of 65 rooms and 14 bathrooms. Its exterior was embellished with balustrades, pilasters, floral swags, and a massive portico. The rooms were furnished with elaborately carved and gilded furniture, fine oriental rugs, silk fabrics, and a collection of art objects from Europe, ancient Greece, and the Far East.
In 1938, the house and 192 acres were given to the State of New York by Gladys Mills Phipps, daughter of Ruth and Ogden Mills.
Rear of the mansion overlooking a large lawn and down towards the Hudson River.
Another view of the rear of the mansion.
I’m not really that interested in sports photograph, but this article from “The Guardian” contains some interesting pictures:
Who Shot Sports is an exhaustive history of the best of sports photography on show at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. Covering professional athletes, amateurs and spectators, it showcases the work of 170 photographers who have defined the genre from 1843 until the present day. The exhibition runs until 8 January 2017
I still have plans to see the Diane Arbus exhibition at the Met Breuer. Maybe I’ll take this one in at the same time.
