STEAM TO...SCALE
HUDSON RIVER SIDEWHEELERS
IN LANSCAPES CREATED BY JAMES EWING 2019
STEAM TO… SCALE
SIX HUDSON RIVER SIDEWHEELERS
IN LANDSCAPES CREATED BY JAMES EWING
The original models are in the collection of The Greene County Historical Society, on display in the Vedder Library.
The models were commissioned by National Commercial Bank and Trust Company, Albany, N.Y. Athens Office. And built by Athens native and maritime historian Forrest Van Loon Ryder in the mid 1960s.
They were to be on permanent display in the Athens branch lobby at some point the bank was purchased by KeyBank who moved the models into storage until a Key Bank employee (Mr. Palmer) who is an Athens native became aware of them and arranged for KeyBank to return them to Greene County by donating them to the GCHS.
While I was doing house history research at the Vedder I encountered these remarkable ship models. I found them very beautiful and inspiring. I have been specializing in photographing scale models for architects and was looking for more scale models to photograph. I proposed to then librarian Jonathan Palmer for permission to photograph the models. After discussing the project with the GCHS Board permission was granted under a few conditions: The models could not leave the Vedder, I couldn’t take them out of their vitrines, and photography would have to be scheduled on Thursdays when the library is closed to the public.
Text of original exhibit pamphlet(history of each ship)
Process text
Process images
Acknowledgements
Artist Statement and Bio
SWALLOW
“The speed that marked her brief life brought it to a sudden end one night.....”
BUILT 1836
SANK 1845
George H. Power
“After 52 years on a single run between Athens and Hudson, she was the river’s most familiar ferry.”
BUILT
1869
CONDEMNED
1927
NORWICH (the Ice King)
“This ‘unsinkable’ old work horse served 74 doughty years on the Hudson River”
BUILT
1836
DISMANTLED
1923
MARY POWELL
“In service on the Hudson 56 years, she was perhaps the river’s most popular day boat”
BUILT
1861
DISMANTLED
1920
CLERMONT
“It wasn’t the first steamboat, but nonetheless, a real pioneer... and best known”
BUILT 1807
WITHDRAWN FROM SERVICE 1815
BELLE HORTON
“A favorite on the Catskill-to-Albany run, she was small with a graceful appearance”
BUILT
1881
BURNED
1906
Once I was granted access and permission to photograph the models I decided upon a strategy for creating dramatic images where the ships would occupy imagined landscapes related to their histories. The original text of the exhibition catalog written by Daniel E. Button was a good source of inspiration along with historic postcards of the ships and Hudson Valley School landscape paintings of Frederick Church and Thomas Cole.
Having photographed many architectural scale models before I started this project I knew That one day in the Vedder wouldn’t be enough time to create landscapes and light the ships from scratch, so I made dummy profiles of each model printed at the scale of the actual model and mounted to foam core. I could then set these up in my studio where I could create and adjust the sets and lights over a period of days until I arrived at a plan which I would then draw out with the lighting positions and gels and the set construction. Then I could use the plan to quickly set up in the morning of the shoot day at the Vedder. My goal was to get things set up and get something similar to my studio setup in the morning. Then I would break for lunch, take a half hour or so to rest my eyes, and then come back to adjust and make variations. Quitting in the late afternoon to load out all of my lights and gear before the Vedder Librarian left for the day.
The vitrines are sadly in poor condition. Made of cheap plexiglass that is marred and scratched in places. I was not permitted to remove the vitrines so I decided to make them intentionally integrated parts of the images, symbolizing an aura of protection and perhaps representing the soul of each vessel. At times lighting the vitrines separately from the ships to make them more visible.
The following pages show some of the process setups for each model in the series.
-James Ewing
I would like to thank the many colleagues and friends who helped make this project possible.
The entire staff and board of The Greene County Historical Society granted me permission to work with these models in collaboration creating new unique works of art relating to and inspired by local history. I thank especially then Vedder librarian and Greene County Historian Jonathan Palmer who helped me load and unload gear and was patient with me interrupting his work days when I took over the library on my Thursday shoot days.
I also need to thank two close artist friends who assisted me on one shoot each: Michael Simpson on the George H Powers shoot. Nicholas Knight who assisted me on The Mary Powell shoot.
Finally I would like to thank the late Forrest Van Loon Ryder (”Fluffy”) Athens native who skillfully crafted these extraordinary models. And the late Daniel E. Button (who wrote the original exhibition catalog describing each ship’s history) former Executive Editor of the Albany Times-Union newspaper and US Congressman representing NY 29th district in The House of Representatives 1967-71.
Reflecting on a Marcus Aurelius quote I read sometime last fall. The gist of it was that our physical self and our psychological self are no different. And they are made up of matter that existed before us and will continue to exist after we die. It’s a theme common to spirituality that we are all connected with the universe, part of a continuum that is larger than any one of us.
“I am composed of the formal and the material; and neither of them will perish into non-existence, as neither of them came into existence out of non-existence. Every part of me then will be reduced by change into some part of the universe, and that again will change into another part of the universe, and so on forever. And by consequence of such a change I too exist, and those who begot me, and so on forever in the other direction. For nothing hinders us from saying so, even if the universe is administered according to definite periods of revolution.”
I was awed by the models at my first encounter and surprised at the modesty of their display. I thought they deserved landscapes to sail through. This I could give them with my photography. I was also aware of the richness of the ships and the river as metaphors for the journey of life. The ship is a vessel like our body. The river is the journey of life that flows inexorably to the sea.
James Ewing is an accomplished photographer whose work is a testament to a lifelong dedication to the craft. With a BFA in Photography (Indiana University) earned in 1997 and an MFA in Photography (Cranbrook Academy of Art) completed in 2004, James Ewing has honed their artistic skills to perfection over the years.
A recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship in 2004-5, James Ewing used this opportunity to explore and capture the world through their unique lens, contributing to their ever-evolving artistic perspective.
Throughout James Ewing’s career, their work has not only showcased technical proficiency but also a profound understanding of the power of the visual medium. Their photography is a reflection of their deep appreciation for history, culture, and human emotion.
With a portfolio that highlights architecture and the built environment, James Ewing has exhibited their work in numerous galleries and exhibitions, earning recognition and praise from art enthusiasts and peers alike.
James Ewing continues to produce striking, thought-provoking imagery that leaves an indelible mark on the viewer’s mind. Their photography is a testament to their unwavering passion for the art form and their commitment to capturing the essence of the world in a way that is both beautiful and intellectually stimulating.
