Henry M. Wheeler's Eye, pt III

Colonial Photography—Viewfinder on the Past

Henry M. Wheeler's Eye for History

Case 14

The most evocative images by Wheeler are those that capture the relationship between the structure and the surrounding land. Wheeler would step back from the central subject and incorporate into his images the fieldstone walls, unimproved roads, outbuildings and enormous mature trees–all of which would be radically changed in the years to come.

Perhaps the greatest changes of all have resulted from changes in transportation technology. The relationship between architecture and the surrounding environment, as seen in many of these photos, had survived largely intact from the 18th century well into the late 19th. Footpaths ran across expansive yards from houses to outbuildings and cultivated fields. Access to water was unimpeded–vital for communication and transportation, as well as irrigation and waste disposal. These relationships were disrupted completely as canals, railroads, and eventually, paved roads for automobiles, all of which tended to hug the low elevation of waters edge, divided and segmented once expansive properties.

Wheeler's photos represent colonial New England at the critical moment near the end of the horse-drawn era, just prior to the intrusion of the automobile. The rundown appearance of these houses is far from the well maintained condition that they may have seen in colonial days. But these past images of dilapidated houses intertwined with weedy yards seem to maintain a connection of spirit to the colonial age that is lacking in modern pristine restorations. Is this viewpoint a conceit of the modern age? Not entirely. Although certainly these structures appeared tidier back in their time of origin, they also existed in an agricultural world that was closer to the earth. This is an aspect that once altered, is impossible to restore.