January 13, 2007
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SATURDAY PHOTO
(See more here)Old Mission Church, Zuni Pueblo, N.M.
by Timothy O’Sullivan (1840-1882)Gadzooks,
it’s been ages since I did one of these. Going way back to the 19th
century, this photo is dated 1874 while the photographer worked for the
Army Corps of Engineers on a survey west of the One Hundredth Meridian.
On the trip he almost starved when some of the expedition’s boats
capsized, but 300 negatives he took survived the trip back East
afterwards to be developed. Photography then was as far from today’s
digital snapping, throwing on the computer, and printing as you could
get, requiring big bulky equipment that had to be set up.
This is an albumen print, 20.2×27.5 cm. O’Sullivan was born in Ireland
and his family emigrated to New York during the potato famines when he
was two. At 18 he apprenticed with Mathew Brady (famous civil war
photographer). When that war began he served at age 21 for a year and
then was honorably discharged and continued to photograph the war till
it ended in 1866. He then became a government survey expedition
photographer and would return to Washington DC in the winters to
develop his photos. At 36 he moved to Washington DC for good and became
the photographer of the Treasury till he died of TB of the lungs at age
42. Here is a page of his photographs. And this is his most famous photo. Seems like times haven’t changed much, have they.
Deep Thought:
“We like to praise birds for flying. But how much of it is actually
flying, and how much of it is just sort of coasting from the previous
flap?”
Today I am grateful for: Clear sinuses
Guess the Movie: “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Answer: Jaws, 1975.
Winner: HomerTheBrave.
The federalist prescription
Jan 11th 2007
From The Economist print edition
Extending health care to the uncovered, one state at a time
With his leg injured in a recent skiing accident, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, California’s governor, this week announced a plan that
could change the terms of America’s health-care debate. The Republican
in charge of the country’s most populous state, where 6.5m people,
almost one resident in five, lack medical insurance, said he wants to
introduce universal health-care coverage. (Rest of article here.)
Comments (30)
i’m not religious, but i like visiting old churches because i really like the (whether spanish or european) architecture.
“Jaws.”
I remember reading somewhere that some of O’Sullivan’s war photos (the one you link to, I think) were posed, in that the corpses were re-arranged to be visible in-frame.
Jaws? I know I’ve seen the movie quoted but what is it?
neat links…
Jaws – yeppers!
Oh i do miss you presenting these folks that I know the images but don’t always know the person behind them!
It is amazing to now have portfolios like this available to us, isn’t it?
And, I just hate to tell Americans, but this multi-structured, state-by-state, health care reform just isn’t going to do it. There’s a report out that shows that a 5% or 6% increase in FICA could end up essentially buying Blue Cross/Blue Shield for everyone, while also making medical school free, and thus allowing the restriction of physician earnings (and a switch to people going into medicine to be doctors, not rich). Single-payer socialized medicine is the only solution. The US spends 4 times per capita on health care as Germany or France and is significantly less healthy by every measure. Time to say that “the market” isn’t solving any of this.
I’ve seen that Gettysburg image around.
And he did get out West, bravo for him.
lovely post.
Love the photos and like New Mexico. DW thinks I have lived a prior life there..
If Kerry had been elected he had an excellent health care plan that could be in place by now and Iraq would be just a bad memory.
peat bogs indeed, Basque Country, perhaps, I would guess in the valley bottoms these might exist there. Of course it has to be a place without wood or where wood is “off limits” because, its a lot more work for less energy. I’ll have to look up the Robeson song. What makes it remarkable is you just can’t get the smell off of you…
i loved that scene in jaws – that line still cracks me up.
the photo of the dead soldiers – how wld we react if they were in color? b/w makes it seem so far away – but it’s real life – i know, duh. great pics. and thx for the background on the photographer.
Interesting stuff. Somedays I feel like I am just getting by from “previous flaps”, . . good blog. Thanks.
Although I know other people already got the answer, the answer is Jaws. Clear sinuses are always good.
*sparkle
Aww, war pictures always put me in an uneasy mood. Funny thing you mentioned clear sinuses. I think I feel regret right now for taking them for granted lol
I love old churches and cathedrals. The manifestation of religion through architecture… magnificent in all shapes, sizes and forms…
Even though wars inspire great photos, I’d prefer no wars.
Civil war artists/sketchers….. to photographers! Perhaps; a huge turning point in history!!
What’s fascinating is that this was so long ago…yet it was not so long ago….
Very interesting material here. I was saddened when I clicked on his most famous photo. It is reality though. “Man dominating man to his injury.” Eccl. 8:9b
Glad I found your site in my footprints, this is quite a site. Actually “DailyKevin” is a secondary site, and http://www.xanga.com/Kevin72 is my real site.
How’d you fair through the snow? I lived in New Mexico for a few years (4, I think). The architecture and history in that neck of the woods is fascinating.
Kulongowski is going to cover all kids in our state, eh? My parents had a fit when they heard this (they think they’re Moderate, but I think they are screaming Conservatives). I’m interested to follow this in our state. I believe three things will improve the way of the United States for all: 1) education, 2) health care, and 3) care for our older citizens. Wow – Canadian much, am I?
RYC: Aye, I stayed home, too. And people giggled. I trust my driving in the snow (if I have the whole road to myself – giggle), but I don’t really trust others’ driving. Not that they are necessarily bad drivers (although some are reckless), the combination of me and them might be a little scary. So, I remove myself from the equation. I ventured out on Wednesday, however, because my mum needed a prescription. People were doing donuts in (mostly) empty parking lots and speeding down the street. Silly people. But we did fine.
I wonder what he was thinking and feeling when he took that picture of the fallen?I imagine his work there haunted him sometimes. T
Very interesting… If I recall right, photography during the Civil War had a similar effect as television news during the Vietnam War–i.e., it displayed the devastation of war to the average person in a way that had never been done before. Perhaps O’Sullivan had the same thoughts going through his mind as Walter Cronkite did when he reported in the ’70s?
BTW, thanks for your comments on my xanga. I’m always curious when folks I haven’t met leave a comment, since I don’t take much efforts to advertise my site at all. KF
thanks so much for the comment!
= )
katie
Amazing photos. I love old black and whites. His most famous painting seemed out of place, however. The mountain ranges were my favorite. Take care.
many of those mission churches still remain here and look about the same. they were built with the blood of the native american women and children pressed into slavery by the spanish and whole cultures, towns, and communities were destroyed. i guess you could say it’s a different kind of a war picture. ps. thanks!!!
There are mission churches in EVERY pueblo here in N.M. – all steeped in history.