The Undertaker, Bennett Place
One of my rare interactions with the formal world of Art was earning an Emerging Artist Grant from the City of Raleigh in 1990. My grant money was used to purchase equipment to make platinum palladium prints. Part of the agreement was to create a body of work and make the effort to secure its exhibition.
In search of subject matter I attended a Civil War reenactment with my 5x7 view camera. I was immediately drawn to the subject matter because of one simple fact. Walking around with a large wooden camera on a heavy wooden tripod was not considered the least bit odd at a Civil War reenactment. Once I obtained the appropriate clothing, I was considered to be an essential part of the proceedings. I created a fairly large body of portraits of reenactors and was able to exhibit the photographs.
One of the less appealing roles in a reenactment is the Undertaker. Returning fallen soldiers to their families was important to both Union and Confederate Commanders. There is usually one undertaker at each reenactment. They usually walk around the perimeter of the camp. No soldier ever wants to talk to the Undertaker - even if it only a reenactment.
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