photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Eight: The camera as time machine: linking the past to the present > Dark Corner, La Posada Hotel, Winslow, Arizona, 2006
previous | next
11-JUL-2006

Dark Corner, La Posada Hotel, Winslow, Arizona, 2006

Mary Colter, one of America’s foremost architects, designed La Posada for the Fred Harvey Company in 1928. It served travelers on Route 66, as well as passengers using Santa Fe trains from 1930 to 1959. The Santa Fe used the building for its Winslow offices for nearly 40 years. In 1997, a private company brought it from the railroad and restored it to its former glory. This coat of armor stands in a darkened corner of the hotel’s restored ballroom. It speaks to us of the past, yet I get the feeling that the warrior has just opened that door to confront us.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/50s f/3.2 at 19.0mm iso80 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time11-Jul-2006 07:13:12
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-FZ30
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length19 mm
Exposure Time1/50 sec
Aperturef/3.2
ISO Equivalent80
Exposure Bias
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
JSWaters20-Jul-2006 01:02
There I go falling into stereotypes - pardon my lapse in memory. He's even more in liege to the past than I originally thought. Thanks for setting me straight.
Phil Douglis19-Jul-2006 23:45
Cecilia -- you are right -- I sensed confrontation with the past here as well. Who is getting into whose face? The interpretation of this image depends upon how one answers that question.

Jenene -- yes, the armor in Winslow, Arizona, has come a long long way to stand in this ballroom. It comes as shock to find it there. But remember the origins of this part of the country. The first to own this land were Spanish Basques who came by way of Mexico. They built the original building on this site in the early 1800 -- and created an oasis based on European, not Indian culture. So this knight in shining armor may not be far out of place here. In any event, as you point out, he grabs our attention and holds on to it.
JSWaters19-Jul-2006 18:40
My first thought was how unlikely it is to find a suit of armor in Winslow, Arizona. Native American breastplates and headresses, yes, but this is so out of place it can only be another messenger confronting us with the past, dressed in a way to grab our attention.
Jenene
Cecilia Lim19-Jul-2006 15:00
The lighting in this room lend a very eerie atmosphere to the image. Yes, there is certainly a feeling of confrontation here - a figure of the past seems to have stepped out from its shadows and looked us straight in the eye. It stands guard, proudly protective of its territory, even though it is only a ballroom in our present time.

This image suggests ideas about confrontation between the past and the present. It arouses questions in our minds - Is the past invading into our present space or are we in the present infringing on the past. I guess it just depends on whose point of view you are looking from.
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment