A Flash of Early New England Photo

Photographer’s Note

I'm taking a little break from the Iowa trip photos I have been posting so I can put a couple photos into the scavenger hunt.

Yesterday I was at Greenfield Village which is a collection of buildings from around the United States created by Henry Ford in 1929. It was based on a Swedish (I believe) model and was built around the time Historic Williamsburg was made in Virginia. In a time of growing concern about the abandonment of the old "American" way of life for the new industrialism brought on by Ford historical preservation began to boom.

Ford got in on this by creating a huge collection of ordinary objects made in America. This collection is now in the neighboring Henry Ford Museum. In this village he collected numerous buildings including the homes of Merriam Webster, the Wright Brothers' shop, Edison's laboratory and a small power plant of his. The Firestone (the tire family) family farm is also here as a working farm. And numerous other buildings offer various views at the American past.

Here we have the Farris Windmill in the foreground. It was built in the mid-1600s and is said to be the oldest windmill in the United States. It originated in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and was moved three times before being moved here. The Farris family ran this to grind corn for three generations.

The building in the back is the Dagget Farmhouse. The farmhouse was built in 1754 in Andover, Connecticut by Samuel Dagget. He ran a family farm and built furniture and houses. His wife made clothing and took care of the animals and children.

Together these two buildings offer a glimpse at early New England daily life.

charmante, gaetantgp, elroyie, bertolucci, Jan100, doreeneden, hispic, Rinie_Hoff, digi-mom, elihesamian, Zanni, chinchini, kajenn, papagolf21, jhonny_blue, Hanssie, jhm, richtersl, ma-tibou, taivo, mikee, AndrewGarn, Didi has marked this note useful

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bertolucci (11976) 2004-07-06 16:40

Excellent capture Paul. The composition, colours and crispness are spot on. The old mill and farmhouse, allthough with different heritages, form a fine ensemble. Great note too. The more you tell about Henry Ford, the more astonished I get. Great job.

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Jan100 (158) 2004-07-06 17:09

A great picture with good colours and a nice contrast between the blue sky and the mill. Well done.

doreeneden (1014) 2004-07-06 17:16

A very good picture with great colouring and contrast between the wood of the windmill and the lovely blue sky. I also like the difference in texture at the base of the windmill with the stones against the wood.

digi-mom (1064) 2004-07-06 21:58

You've captured great colors and details, and I like the leaves framing the corner, even if you do lose the top of the windmill. You include just enough of the farmhouse to make a really sweet Americana type scene I think. Thanks for the very informative note.

elihesamian (26091) 2004-07-06 22:52

Great note for it,Also I like about Webster,Wright Brothers & Edison which you write,a very informative shot.
Very well framed with branches in top & shadows in bottom,great work.
Really well composed the all elements with a soft/hide perspective in it.
Thanks alot,Paul!
You did great.

[2]

Zanni (5885) 2004-07-07 0:15

Very good picture. I like the angle you choose, the fine texture and colours. Have I say anything about your complete note? I don't think. Great contribute to scav hunt, Paul. I know that in USA it is very difficult to find something 200 years old! I believed you would come back in Italy for this theme!

chinchini (27507) 2004-07-07 0:46

Magnifique moulin dignement capturé avec cette excellente image publiée. La note très développée est riche d'enseignements. Bravo Paul.
Je pense que tu ne pouvais éviter l'ombre au premier plan ;-))

kajenn (2325) 2004-07-07 1:09

A beautiful picture, Paul, of an old and well preserved wind mill. It's a nice piece of work - a bit odd looking - and this is shown in an exquisite way in your photo. Sharp and well rendered texture - also in the farmhouse. The wings, in their naked form, stand well toward the beautiful sky. Including some branches top right is a nice contribution, which is made possible by the good POV. Nice job, well done.

I don't know if the idea originates in Sweden, but in Stockholm there's Skansen with 150 buildings and surroundings from all of the provinces - founded in 1891. And on a smaller scale we have the same thing at Kulturen here in Lund.

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papagolf21 (56159) 2004-07-07 3:42

L'angle de prise de vue est parfait Paul. Très bon cadrage et excellents détails, les couleurs sont très bonnes. Une photographie d'une grande qualité.
Quant à la note : irréprochable !
Merci du partage une fois de plus Paul.
The angle of recording is completed Paul. Very good centring and excellent details, colours are very good. A photography of a big quality.
As for the note: irreproachable!
Thank you for the sharing once again Paul.

jhonny_blue (4938) 2004-07-07 4:37

Wonderful mill Paul ! It´s a very beautiful unit !
Very good composition and colours !
Congratulations

Hanssie (9133) 2004-07-07 5:38

Wonderful shot, nice coloured and the sharpness is super, good note too, Paul

jhm (82201) 2004-07-07 6:04

Great note Paul, a excellent picture with good colours and a nice contrast between the blue sky and the mill. Well done.
Thanks for sharing.

richtersl (3544) 2004-07-07 8:41

At first glance I thought this photo was from Holland...until I saw the title. The colors in your photo are just wonderful as is your note. Thanks for sharing.

elroyie (2750) 2004-07-07 12:48

Great picture with great composition and colours, you had good light for photography and interesting sky for backgroung.
Interesting and good note.

:-)) tomorrow.

mdchachi (1611) 2004-07-07 13:45 [Comment]

Show Comment +

ma-tibou (4566) 2004-07-08 11:15

Très bonne prise de vue , de jolies couleurs .
Note explicative très détaillée et très intêressante.

Very good catch of sight, pretty colors. Very detailed explanatory note and very intêresting.

taivo (1840) 2004-07-10 9:29

Very interesting note to accompany the photo. The pov and composition with a part of the house in the background are nice. The stone base of the windmill looks great. The place has a pleasant feel.

gaetantgp (1310) 2004-07-17 20:43

Good shot of these old buildings here Paul! I like the colors of the stones that act as foundation to this windmill. The place and angle that you position yourself to take the shot gives us the idea of the magnificent of the mill...Gaétan

charmante (1053) 2004-07-18 6:40

I like everything in your picture, mostly the sharp texture of stones & bricks in this mill.

bartek (50) 2004-07-27 23:36

Great picture. You just proved that a good photographer doesn't need to travel to South East Asia to take good pictures. Great scene. Can't believe it's in the US!

Clochette (8076) 2004-07-29 16:23

I like the stone details at the bottom of the mill. The light is nice, and the slight shadow in the foreground brings a feeling of peace.
Very good work, Paul.

mikee (1981) 2004-08-16 1:45

Good crisp and clear shot with wonderful colors and textures. I like the way the shot is framed by the tree branches at the top. The architecture is appealing, especially in this rural-like setting. It looks very "Old American". Well captured. Great composition.

Jeppe (18623) 2004-08-30 15:20

I like to comment on a older photo Paul.

Great to get a view from a open air museum like we have at least 6 or more of in Denmark - I like the rich details you got of that mill and the house behind - you could have given us the upper wingtip - but then the details would have been less - thanks for sharing this fine work.

AndrewGarn (163) 2004-10-29 9:28

Great Photo! I like the sharpness of the windmill, perhaps it would be interesting to see the photo without the tree shadow and overhanging branches, but none the less good composition and a good photo.

Didi (35998) 2004-11-10 17:48

Il est possible de compter les tuiles qui recouvrent le moulin, ce qui prouve que l'image est d'une netteté parfaite.
Belles couleurs et cadrage dans les règles de l'art.

It is possible to count the tiles which cover the mill, which proves that the image is very sharp, perfect clearness. Beautiful colors and framing with the art rules.

Achleitner (821) 2005-03-08 10:57

Excellent capture.