Thinking about my dad over the last week, it has occurred to me how impossible it is to neatly categorize his life, personality, or accomplishments. I think that unique complexity is part of what made him a man who so many people admired, and it’s one of the things that brought us closer together in … Continue reading Missing My Dad
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No. 22: Turkish Souvenir
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
Félix Vallotton, La Valse, 1893
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
No. 21: What’s Missing
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
Sergei Avdeev, Evening Outdoors, 2014
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
No. 19: Miniature Embroidered Doll
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
Leopold Graf von Kalckreuth, Children by the Christmas Tree
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
No. 18: Spencer Tunick Photograph
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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Wouter Johannes van Troostwijk, The Raampoort in Amsterdam, 1809
After a night of half sleep in damp straw, I sneak out of the falling-down barn into the thick, white air. My feet are still wet and cold. My back still aches. But I barely feel these discomforts anymore. They are no more than nagging. What I can't ignore—what flashes bright and insistently at the … Continue reading Wouter Johannes van Troostwijk, The Raampoort in Amsterdam, 1809
Ellen A. Hurst 