An Exploration of Land & Pace in Tennessee circa 1900-1912
📸: "Watching the sternwheel steamboat pass," approximately 1900-1912, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee Virtual Archive
Mirror Moment(s): Land & Pace
Even though Otis Redding was talking about sitting on the dock in the Bay Area, from Georgia, for some reason, that song still seems like the soundtrack for this picture 😂. It also seems that nature always uplifts and makes room for simply being. The protruding tree roots in this photo create literal tiered seats for the man and two boys. If a conversation was being had, their forward gazes suggest that there weren’t too many glances toward each other. Maybe the man and the boy’s eyes stayed steady on the water as their caps blocked the sun.
Evie Shockley, a poet from Nashville, beautifully explores the complexity of loving the natural landscape of the South. Shockley describes what it means to love the place where your roots are while simultaneously knowing you were systemically chopped down at any chance. Yet, in this photo, the landscape grew legs to support them.