Artist: UnknownTitle: TchotchkeDate: 1970s?Culture: Turkish (?)Provenance: Bought by my grandparents probably on vacation in Turkey in the 1970s My grandfather is an endless source of inspiration for me. Many of the things that fascinate me about American culture relate to him in some way--to the world he would have been a part of. I loved … Continue reading No. 22: Turkish Souvenir
It was the end of summer, and the adults overindulged in wine and food and the golden light of the sun setting on the lake. They danced to the quiet music of the water lapping at the shoreline and the gossipy whispering of the tree leaves. We kids stole sweets from the tabletops and sneaked … Continue reading Félix Vallotton, La Valse, 1893
Artist: LifeTitle: What's Missing/Absence/Loss/Memory/TimeDate: TimelessCulture: Metaphysical, PhilosophicalProvenance: I wish I knew. I haven't written in a long time. Largely that's because I've been short on time, but it's also because I've been short on motivation. There's a theme of absence here. I've been absent from my writing self because of a lack of other things. … Continue reading No. 21: What’s Missing
The light had already been fading for a while that afternoon as we flung ourselves over snow drifts and up tall mountains of shoveled snow and along the garage rooftops which we could reach because the snow was so high. What had begun as a straightforward afternoon of play in the weak light after school … Continue reading Sergei Avdeev, Evening Outdoors, 2014
Artist: UnknownTitle: ViolinDate: 1950s?Culture: AmericanProvenance: Handed down to EAH via her mother and grandfather. At the back of my closet, hidden behind a curtain of long-unworn dresses, is a brown-canvas violin case with a worn leather handle. The violin has schlepped with me to each of the thirteen residences I've had since college, not finding … Continue reading No. 20: My Violin
I wonder how long I waited there, as the clouds slowly moved in and obscured the sky, first dropping scattered raindrops and then eventually pelting the world with hail. I had gotten so used to the briny smell of the sea that I was surprised to notice it that morning. Sloshing and crashing against the … Continue reading Cynthia W. Iliff, Untitled (Men Playing Cards), 1942
Artist: UnknownTitle: UntitledDate: Early 20th Century?Culture: American?Provenance: Ended up with EAH's Christmas things after the death of her mother. My Christmas tree is a minefield of memories, adorned as it is in ornaments given to me over the years and ornaments I've given to my children since their first Christmases and ornaments that used to … Continue reading No. 19: Miniature Embroidered Doll
After I woke up from my nap, there was an unusual noise and bustle in the house and the smell of cookies. Marta took me and Anna on a walk and brought the sled so that she could pull us when we got tired. I loved the distinctive squeak-crunch sound the snow made as we … Continue reading Leopold Graf von Kalckreuth, Children by the Christmas Tree
Artist: Spencer TunickTitle: Photograph at the Piazza NavonaDate: 2001Culture: AmericanProvenance: Signed copy given to EAH as "payment" for being a subject in the photograph. Currently hanging in her bathroom. In 2001 I spent a glorious semester in Rome. Classes were held in villas and palazzi and museums. I spent my afternoons wandering the city, down … Continue reading No. 18: Spencer Tunick Photograph
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Ellen A. Hurst 