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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty: When walls speak and we listen > History in words, Angels Camp, California, 2008
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16-MAY-2008

History in words, Angels Camp, California, 2008

Angels Camp is one of California’s most historic mining towns. It was at the heart of the Gold Rush, and it was here that Mark Twain first heard the story of the jumping frog that he would eventually write about. His words would make the town world famous. I found other words here – words lathered on a brick wall in an alley. There are layer upon layer of signs here, reaching from today, back into the long history of this colorful place. And so I made this richly colored image, filled with words and partial words and fragments of words that together create a historical quilt that can carry us back to other days and other times.

Sigma DP1
1/100s f/6.3 at 16.6mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time16-May-2008 09:47:57
MakeSigma
ModelSIGMA DP1
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length16.6 mm
Exposure Time1/100 sec
Aperturef/6.3
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias
White Balance
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis28-May-2008 20:30
Thanks, Jenene -- the abundance of fine tactile detail here is due largely to four factors: the wonderfully complex wall itself, the uniform light that did not break it up with light and shadow, the incredible detail provided by the larger than usual sensor on my new Sigma DP1 camera (the only compact camera with a DSLR sized sensor); and my post processing efforts, designed to enhance detail as much as I could.
JSWaters28-May-2008 04:10
One could imagine this as a finely woven old carpet or tapestry - worn and tattered in places of overuse, rich in colorful history throughout. I want to reach out and touch it.
Jenene
Phil Douglis27-May-2008 19:19
History can be perceived a series of layers, Tim -- just like the writing on this wall. The layers blend together as time passes. We we see here is the past presented as a whole. This is social history, showing us a society adapting and changing over a period of time. What we see on this wall is muddled and unclear -- difficult to interpret or understand, an appropriate metaphor for history's complexity and contradictions.
Tim May27-May-2008 17:58
What a great vision of history.
Phil Douglis27-May-2008 05:50
Spelling does change with the times and the culture. It is difficult to know when that particular phrase was inscribed on this wall. Thanks, Carol, for your observation.
Phil Douglis26-May-2008 22:02
That's how I felt, Kal. Generations of people earning a living have posted their wares on this wall, only to give way to others. The cumulative effect, as you note, is not only colorful but indelible.
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