Willard Suitcase #5
This suitcase belonged to Mary W.
Hers was the second wicker case I photographed last Thursday.
As I have mentioned before, I haven’t any idea what I will find when I unwrap the cases. This one felt a bit heavier than others and when I opened it, it was mostly filled with fabric and lace that I am assuming Mary had made.
There was a lovely feel about the material as I unwrapped each piece.
A mark similar to the one above was on several of the towels. At first I thought it was a date, but I am not so sure.
I believe these tags are from Willard and not the museum. It looks like her case was entered into the system in the 1960s.
The detail on the lace pieces is beautiful.
Lots of interesting shapes and sizes.
Thursday was very productive. Mary had only the one case with the lace and towels, but I also shot 3 cases that belonged to another person. I’ll edit those photos and get them up soon. Many thanks to Peggy Ross who helped me rewrap the cases, and as usual to Craig Williams for all his support. If you are seeing these for the first time, please check out my project on Kickstarter.
Donuts
I had a great day shooting Willard suitcases in Albany yesterday. I usually stop at the Donut Dip in West Springfield on my way out. The shop has been there since the ’50s and hasn’t changed much since then. I buy a dozen, eat one and let Craig distribute the rest to various people he works with at the museum. The volunteers at the front desk were the beneficiaries this time. Incredible donuts.
Catamount Classic
Last year my friend Thom Kendall asked if I would volunteer my time to shoot the Catamount Classic (catamountclassic.com). It is an event started by people at the University of Vermont to raise funds for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This year it was another beautiful day and it felt good to be doing something to help raise money for a good cause. I am in the middle of editing the photographs and really like this one. / For the last week, I have been spending lots of time and energy on my Kickstarter project, and it is nice to be looking at pictures that are so completely different. I’ll be back in Albany on Thursday to do some more work on the suitcases.
Willard Suitcase #4
Here is another case from the Monday shoot. This one belonged to Clarissa B.
The leather straps were in pretty rough shape.
The address label is quite faded, but it is clear that she was in another hospital before Willard. I googled Rockland Hospital and it is in Orangeburg, NY. The label underneath is obscured, but Worthington Place in New York City is pretty clear.
I like the details of this case; the metal bits are a bit rusty, but the some of the leather has a nice patina.
The museum has done such an amazing job stabilizing these objects. After sitting unprotected in storage for so many years, it is incredible that they are as intact as they are.
Above is the opposite side of this suitcase with more labels.
It is clear that this case has traveled around quite a bit. Even the Railway Express labels have such a pleasing design. I really wish the Date line had been filled in.
I was pretty sure there wasn’t much inside when I lifted it up.
Just a few items, and nothing particularly personal.
This little metal plate was inside one of the smaller cases. Etched into it is her name and “Bldg 18” and what looks like the date “5/2 36”.
I hope to get back to Albany next week to do some more work. Thanks for looking. You can see more about the project here.
Willard Suitcase #3
I was in Albany last Monday to shoot some more of the Willard suitcases. It was the day Peter Carroll was filming me for the Kickstarter video, so it was a bit different of an experience. I was comfortable when Peter was shooting me work, but as soon as he started interviewing me, I lost the plot. Sometimes it is hard to put into words what I am feeling about this project. The photos seem to speak for themselves and I have always expressed myself best through pictures and not words. Anyway, if you have seen the video here, you will understand what an amazing editor he is. He took my jumbled thoughts and made sense of them. Kickstarter emphasizes how important a short video is to getting funded, and I think it has really made a difference.
So here is Fred Butters’ case. It is a beautiful design, and I especially love how the leather helps to define it. The handle is also in really nice shape.
There wasn’t a lot in it when it was opened, but what was there was really interesting.
It is so touching to see what he brought with him to Willard.
I especially like the metal container of talc and the design of the Polident can.
The blank postcards say alot too. One element of this project I need to have answered is whether or not the owners had access to the suitcases while they were at Willard. If they didn’t, what would explain the envelope with the stamp on it that wasn’t ever mailed? I’ll ask Craig; he will know.
The toothbrush container is glass.
Here is the talc container, and below a letter. I really need to find out if he brought it with him or received it while living at Willard.
So, the project is now posted at Kickstarter. I am really hoping I reach my goal so I can continue to do this work. If you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to forward it along. Thanks to everyone who has already donated, and to all who have looked at the photos.
Cornelius Krieghoff
My childhood was almost completely happy. There were very few times when I was troubled by much, but one thing that bothered me from time to time was my middle name. My sister’s is Louise, my brother’s is William and most of my friends had basic “normal” names. Carol Lee Thomas, Alan Jeffrey Radov, John Joseph Bowman Jr. (Oddly, I can’t remember Mike Hogan’s, but I am guessing it was probably Robert. In fact he might have been Robert Michael Hogan; named after his dad who was a famous University of Pittsburgh football player.) My middle name is Krieghoff. Maybe it was the proximity to the end of the second world war, but to me it just seemed weird. My mom’s maiden name was Krieghoff, and I guess she had reason to be proud enough of it to pass it along. It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I started to understand what a cool thing it was to be named after the most famous Canadian painter of the 19th Century. Read about him here.
I had known that he was buried in Chicago, and yesterday I called the Graceland Cemetery to find out exactly where. A lovely woman called Max gave me lots of information and since Cris and I are here for a couple of days I made the trek out there this morning.
It is interesting that in 1980 the trustees of Graceland paid for and erected a new stone for his site. Max walked me through the rather complicated directions to the section where he is buried (section g, resub, lot 178). Being directionally challenged, she gave me some landmark stones and once I spotted the one below, I knew I was in business.
I was told his stone was facing East, and after wandering around a bit I found it.
It is on the west side of the cemetery, just off Western Avenue.
Max had told me that he was laid to rest (what a funny phrase for being put into the ground in a wooden box) on 8 March, 1872.
Look, somebody (me) stuck a number 6 artists brush into the ground next to the stone (seemed more appropriate than flowers).
A very cool day. Something I have wanted to do for a long time. / Chicago is such a great city. Lots of amazing architecture.
Erie Canal Lock 8
I was photographing some of the damage to Lock 8 on the Erie Canal on Wednesday. It is pretty impressive, and I hope to get back soon to do some of the other locks. They are magnificent structures.
The river is still very muddy from the flooding and the clean-up will take some time.
Peter
Today I was in the Schenectady area shooting Erie Canal damage from the recent storms, and got the chance to stop by Union to visit Peter. Here he is talking to Cris. It is lovely to see him smile. / I’ll post some of the canal photos tomorrow.
Walk
Cris and the Pearl and I went up into the woods today. My sister Karen once told me what this ↑ little guy is called , but it didn’t stick with me. Any help, anyone? They are very delicate and tiny. / And due to all the recent rain, the fungi are everywhere.
I can’t remember seeing one like this ↑ before. It is very white.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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