SPANISH MOSS
An image that speaks for itself. Calming, in these troubled times. “Spanish Moss“; New Orleans, Louisiana (1913).
An image that speaks for itself. Calming, in these troubled times. “Spanish Moss“; New Orleans, Louisiana (1913).
The image in this blog “Mississippi River Ferry” is a recent addition to our ferry collection. When we first saw this photo it appealed to us in terms of the composition. The dock, the ferry, the river and the seagull in the left of the scene make this work. The question for us, as is the case most of the time, was where and when? The construction of the ferry speaks to the southern part of the Mississippi River. That was clear. But was it a crossing in Mississippi, perhaps Natchez, or further south into Louisiana? There are so many crossings. What we were unable to see until the the image went into photo editing was the sign on the building across the river in the left of the frame. “Algiers Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co.” Problem solved, New Orleans! Today the new kid on the block, for about the last 70 years, is Bollinger. Various companies have been in that location since the mid 1800s. These are the times when the satisfaction for us is greater when we are able to answer a where or when question or both in addition to appreciation of the image itself.
“Mississippi River Ferry“; New Orleans, Louisiana c.1930
We begin our August blogs with this rare image: “Street Peddler“; New Orleans, Louisiana c.1895.
We review thousands of photos weekly. Sometimes alarm bells go off as a photo illustrates to us a particular theme from literature, music or elsewhere with obvious clarity. You know it when you see it. The photo’s relevance to an issue makes an evident connection.
If you enjoy watching science fiction films as I do, and you enjoy watching Denzel Washington acting as I do, you should catch the film “Déjà Vu” (2006). I have seen the movie countless times for these two reasons even though the film gets a bit carried away at the end. If you buy into the plot stay with it until the end. If you are unfamiliar with the film you can get all the background here.
When we became aware of this photo there was no question that we had to acquire it. Art does truly imitate life. Pictured here is the Canal Street Ferry “Westside” in New Orleans as it is loading for a trip across the Mississippi River to Algiers c.1950. The ferry service plays a critical part in the film. In fact, if you have seen or intend to watch this film viewing this photo is a must.
Big wheel keep on turning. Well, you know the rest of the song. This is a photo taken in 1935 of the sternwheel steamship “Columbia” on the Mississippi River at New Orleans.