Everyone told her it would be cold, but she thought perhaps the snow and ice might wait a while. At least give her a chance to settle in before greeting her. But that, of course, was not to be. Their caravan had been on the move for months now, and she felt that she had … Continue reading Pieter Breugel the Elder, Winter Landscape with a Bird Trap, 1565
Artist: Unknown, Moscow street artist Title: The Russia House Matryoshka Dolls Date: ca. 1991 Culture: Russian Provenance: Made to order in Moscow by EAH's father as a gift In a past that feels so distant that it seems impossible that I could have lived it, my family lived in Soviet Moscow where my dad was … Continue reading No. 9: The Russia House Matryoshka Dolls
I'm not sure how long the house has been abandoned, but since childhood it has felt like the old home had been given over to the forest eons ago. My friends and I would meet there after school. We would pretend it was a palace, a dungeon, a pirate ship, and sometimes—when my little sister … Continue reading Isaak Brodsky, Fallen Leaves, 1929
Artist: WubbaNub Title: Pacifier with Stuffed Elephant Date: 2019 Culture: American Provenance: Purchased at Target by EAH for her wee daughter If you think about it, our relationships with our babies are unusual since most other relationships are founded on a shared history—family that you've known since you were born or friends you've had for … Continue reading No. 8: Elephant Pacifier
Children the world over have long been told tales about the sinister magic of the forest at night. Stories about witches and hungry wolves and beady-eyed raptors. Stories about darkness swallowing up all traces of goodness. Stories about the innocent entering into the woods never to be seen again. These stories are quickly followed up … Continue reading Otto Marseus van Shrieck, A Forest Floor Still Life, 1666
Artist: Steinway & Sons Title: Piano Bench Date: 1950s Culture: American Provenance: Gifted (along with piano) to EAH's mother in the 1950s by her father and then gifted to EAH by her father in 2017, after her mother's death. When my mother was a child—I'm fuzzy on exactly when—my grandfather bought her a baby grand … Continue reading No. 7: Piano Bench
Before it happened, I was stitching together the red-orange flower that would eventually find its home at the far edge of my quilt. I was bone tired after a day of cleaning and cooking and running after the children, and this was a special time of reflection. There is something divine in the devising of … Continue reading Rebecca Davis, Honeycomb Quilt, 1846
Artist: Unknown—Copy of Theophan the Greek Title: Copy of the Icon of the Donskoi Mother of God Date: Modern copy of 14th century icon Culture: Russian/Byzantine Provenance: Purchased as a souvenir by EAH by at the Donskoi Monastery in Moscow in 2011. In the spring of 2011, I visited Moscow for the first time in … Continue reading No. 6: Icon of the Donskoi Mother of God
Before the pump house was built, there was just a stretch of marshy, flat prairie. I was only thirteen when the crews moved in to build the place, but I can still remember games of tag with my brothers in the tall, humid grass that once grew there. Back then, before we were old enough … Continue reading A. E. Staley Pump House, 1919, Decatur, Illinois
Artist: Unknown Title: Key chain and bottle opener (formerly with Abba imagery) Date: Unknown (1970s–90s?) Culture: European or American Provenance: Given to EAH by Kevin O'Rourke on her twenty-second birthday (2002). Purchased by Kevin O'Rourke on eBay in 2001 or 2002. Original owner/provenance unknown. I sometimes like to say that I got my husband for … Continue reading No. 5: Key Chain and Bottle Opener
