24-JUL-2015
Seward Park, Auburn, New York, 2015
This small park, adjacent to the Seward House, features a statue of William H. Seward. It was dedicated in 1888, on land donated by Seward’s family for use as a park. It shows Seward making a speech in the US Senate in 1850 against the Fugitive Slave Act, which was eventually passed by the Congress. It required all captured escaped slaves to be returned to their masters, even in “free “states. (Seward, who was an abolitionist, nicknamed it the “Bloodhound Law.”) Seward later, as Secretary of State, helped President Abraham Lincoln frame both the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. Seward was also an Auburn neighbor, supporter, and friend of escaped slave Harriet Tubman, who helped establish a network of safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. I photograph Seward’s statue from behind here, enabling the figure of Seward to speak directly to the flag symbolizing his nation.
24-JUL-2015
Remembering Seward, The Seward House, Auburn, New York, 2015
A larger than life sized bust of William H. Seward stands at one window of the library where more than a thousand volumes of 19th century books like the walls. The sculptor was Daniel Chester French, who also sculpted a matching bust of Abraham Lincoln on display in same room. (See following image.) French also created the huge seated figure of Lincoln that dominates the Lincoln Memorial. The window light defines Seward’s strength of character. I processed the image in sepia tones in order to age the photograph and to eliminate the vivid color of the books that drew attention away from the sculpted figure.
24-JUL-2015
Lincoln, The Seward House, Auburn, New York, 2015
This memorial draped bust of Abraham Lincoln stands opposite the bust of William Seward in Seward’s library. Both sculptures are by Daniel Chester French, creator of the seated Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial. The draped figure tells us that French made this bust following Lincoln’s assassination. While the Seward bust, depicted in the previous image, stares straight ahead, Lincoln seems turns his head away from us as light plays softly over his distinctive features. This pairing of busts in Seward’s library symbolizes a partnership that not only eventually abolished slavery, but also may have the saved the Union itself. Seward, even though he had lost the 1860 presidential nomination to Lincoln, ensured that Lincoln was elected president. As Lincoln’s Secretary of State, Seward’s diplomatic efforts kept England and France from entering the Civil War on behalf of the Confederacy. Seward was also worked behind the scenes with Lincoln on both the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment ending slavery. Once again, I chose to reproduce this image in sepia tones, eliminating the conflicting colors of the books arrayed behind him. The sepia tone also represents the era in which both Lincoln and Seward made history together.
24-JUL-2015
Cradle, The Seward House, Auburn, New York, 2015
The Seward House is now a museum as well. It is filled with the original furnishings and objects belonging to William H. Seward and his family. Due to the fragile nature of these objects and furnishings, visitors are not allowed to make photographs of them. However the museum staff kindly allowed me to have photographic access to everything in the house. I spent an entire day working in the house and also gave a special tutorial on historical photography during my stay. One of the poignant objects I photographed was a crib in the home’s nursery. Four generations of the family lived in this house, and this crib most likely held either children or grandchildren of William H. Seward. The interplay of light and shadow on the crib, the window, as well as on the adjoining chair, creates a rainbow of color to express the nature of a 19th century nursery.
24-JUL-2015
Faded dream, The Seward House, Auburn, New York, 2015
A doll, most likely cherished by more than one of William Seward’s children or grandchildren, lies abed in one of the home’s many small bedrooms. It wears a lace-trimmed dress, and rests upon handsome 19th century linen and an intricately made quilt. When rendered in sepia, the doll seems to be absorbed by its surroundings, a faded dream from another time.
24-JUL-2015
Victorian elegance, The Seward House, Auburn, New York, 2015
I combine a romantic marble sculpture, an ornate armchair, delicate lace curtains, and a swath of velvet drapery to express the elegant Victorian character of the “Drawing Room,” the most important room in the Seward House. This was where William Henry Seward greeted his guests, including government officials, generals, diplomats, and friends. The house and its furnishings reflects the essence of the British Empire’s Victorian era, which lasted from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century, and greatly influenced the decorative arts of the United States as well as Seward’s Auburn home.
24-JUL-2015
Frances Seward, The Seward House, Auburn, New York, 2015
Frances Miller married William Seward in 1824. Her father was retired judge Elijah Miller. Seward was a young lawyer in Judge Miller’s practice. The judge required the couple to live in his house, which became known as The Seward House after his death. Frances was deeply committed to the abolitionist movement. In the 1850s, she opened their home as a safe house to fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad. Frances, whose health was fragile, stayed at home in Auburn during most of William Seward’s political career. She died in 1865, shortly after her husband was nearly assassinated in Washington on the night of Abraham Lincoln’s murder. This small sculpture of Frances Seward was commissioned as a memorial. It was placed next to her coffin in the Seward House Drawing Room just prior to her funeral. It is still in place, 150 years after her death. It depicts her reading a book, a favorite pastime. The sculptor based the work on a photograph. She was a diligent reader, and my close-up image emphasizes that point.
24-JUL-2015
Entrance, The Seward House, Auburn, New York, 2015
A bust of William H. Seward appears in ghostly form within a curved window over the main entrance of the Seward House. I photograph it from below and the side to stress the reflection of the deep blue sky in the window. The softly illuminated bust, which is white, becomes blue in my image. The window is framed in sweeping curves, which also are reflected on the glass. Seen together, these elements suggest that Seward’s spirit is very much a part of this historic place.
23-JUL-2015
Fort Hill Cemetery, Auburn, New York, 2015
This hilly cemetery was founded in 1851. It is only a short walk from The Seward House. The graves of William H. Seward, his wife Frances, and their children appear in middle of this image. The cemetery covers 83 acres of hilly land. Harriet Tubman, former slave and leader of the Underground Railroad is also buried here, as is Myles Keogh, who killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn. My image of Fort Hill Cemetery offers a sense of place – shaded and silent, hilly and verdant, the simple monuments speak for themselves.
23-JUL-2015
Seward graves, Fort Hill Cemetery, Auburn, New York, 2015
I photographed the ornate tombs of both William and Frances Seward just as the early morning sun brushed the ornate urns atop them. Seward commissioned Emanuel Leutze, who created the iconic painting “George Washington Crossing the Delaware,” to design the urn at right, honoring his wife. Leutze’s paintings also hang in the Seward House, including one that depicts Seward negotiating the purchase of Alaska in 1867.
25-JUL-2015
Gathering of the guards, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, 2015
The Corning Museum of Glass cares for and displays the world’s best collection of art and historic glass. I made this image in the museum’s new contemporary art and design galleries, just as a group of museum guards was conferring within one of its doorways. The floors, walls, and ceilings of these galleries are white, designed to best display the glassworks within. The all-white environment gives this image its airy feeling, while my shutter suspends the casual interaction of the guards in a moment of time. Works of art at right and in the gallery beyond add context.
25-JUL-2015
Glass and art, Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York, 2015
This is just one of many spectacular works of art on display in the contemporary art and design galleries of this museum, It uses color, shape, scale, and volume to express its meaning. A young museum visitor dashed into the gallery just as I was getting ready to make this photo. He did not see me, or the art. I caught him here just as he hastily departed through the doorway at right. This image not only tells us something about the nature of the works on display here -- it also says that some young museum visitors may come for the fun, rather than for the art.