Old Salem

My hubby and I recently took a “mental health day” and went to Old Salem. We’ve been there a number of times, and I’ve been on the tour a couple of times with my nieces, but it was the first time he’s had the actual tour. The weather was perfect, and we had a wonderful day!

I’m the camera nerd who is taking abstract photos of little details. Randy on the other hand is the mechanical and carpentry inclined type who is analyzing how the fasteners work on the authentic shutters, and enjoying the craftsmanship and joinery. He really enjoyed the metal shop, since he used to work as a machinist. We are both people lovers, each in our own ways…him in a quieter way than mine, (just keep those remarks to yourself please) so we loved talking to the guides in their period costumes.

One area I had not seen before was the 1875 Photograph Gallery (can you say studio). There was a wonderful quote in that exhibit: “Those who are comely will of course get a handsome picture, and even those who are particularly hard-featured, need not stand back, as the instruments are warranted not to crack. (Lineback’s New Photograph Gallery, People’s Press, February 26, 1869)” Perhaps I need to add a warranty like this to my work??

I had the chance to see something I had only read about, the tool used to hold peoples heads still for their portraits. Back in “the day” an exposure took several minutes, not the milliseconds it does today, and you had to be perfectly still to avoid blurring the photo. That’s why you don’t see anyone smiling in an antique portrait, nobody could hold a smile steady long enough..they looked stiff because they were stiff. Hummm…wonder if one of those tools would work on two year olds…just a thought.

If your family hasn’t been, or hasn’t been in a while, try to find time to go for a visit at Old Salem. http://www.oldsalem.org/ Seems like we’ve been going non-stop for a good while, so it was a real treat to take a day to ourselves. And yes, we did visit the bakery. Yum.

I’m kinda, sorta, halfway working on a line of fine-art photos, you know, in my spare time, ha ha. Several of the images from our outing will become part of that series. The photos here are a bit of a sneak peak for you. Enjoy!

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