Dave Thompsen Photography

Tag: historic

  • Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    I am honored that my “Minuteman Statue at North Bridge” photograph was selected for the exhibition title wall and brochure for this summer’s art exhibition “The Minute Man: Examining Patriotism, Victory, and Loss” at Chesterwood, the historic summer estate of renowned American sculptor Daniel Chester French in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

    French (1850–1931) is best known for his large, iconic statue of the seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. He also sculpted the Minuteman statue in Concord, Massachusetts, the subject of my photograph.

    Chesterwood is owned and run by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A guided tour takes you through French’s elegant home, his studio, and beautiful gardens. The exhibition celebrates the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.

    The Minuteman statue is a 7-foot-tall bronze sculpture representing those who fought in the battle against the British Regulars at the Old North Bridge on April 19, 1775. Unveiled on April 19, 1875, for the centennial of the battle, it stands at the Minute Man National Historical Park to honor the farmers and tradesmen who fought for independence. The North Bridge, site of the first skirmish of the Revolutionary War and popularized as the location of the “shot heard ’round the world”, is in the foreground of the scene. The man is leaving his farm plow to his left, striding forward with a rifle in his right hand, signifying how these citizen-soldiers would be called upon to fight for liberty at a moment’s notice. My photograph, taken on a colorful fall day and enhanced with artistic filters, is available for purchase on my Fine Art America online shop.

    A photograph of the Minuteman Statue at North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts.
    Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    It is also available as part of my Stamp Treks – New England Edition album on eBay. This is a collection of my images inspired by our nation’s postage stamps.

    Each page of the album include a color print of my image, a description of the image and it’s relationship with the stamp, and, in the variation that includes stamps, a genuine mint specimen of the postage stamp. The statue was commemorated in a War Savings stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in 1942.

    The album also includes my image of Chesterwood, inspired by the 1940 stamp of French.

  • Sailing Past Fort Constitution

    Sailing Past Fort Constitution

    Sailing Past Fort Constitution

    The gundalow boat Piscataqua sails past Fort Constitution in New Castle, New Hampshire. The Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse is to the left, the lighthouse keeper’s house is the white building with the red roof. The large building in the background is the former Portsmouth Naval Prison, built like a castle on the current grounds of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The image was captured from Fort Foster across the harbor in Kittery, Maine.

    This image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Stone Cottage

    Stone Cottage

    Stone Cottage

    The Isles of Shoals are a group of small islands and ledges in the Gulf of Maine six miles off the New Hampshire coastline. A busy fishing area in the past, today this is a popular tourist destination. The Isles of Shoals Steamship Company operates the Thomas Laighton cruise boat, which brings visitors to Star Island. This quaint cottage is one of several marvelous stone buildings clustered on the island. The steeple of Gosport Chapel, a simple meetinghouse built on the highest point of land on the island, can be seen in the background.

    This image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance; prints are available from my Pixels shop.

  • Dinghy at Wentworth-Coolidge

    Dinghy at Wentworth-Coolidge

    A photograph of a dinghy moored in the shimmering waters off the historic Wentworth-Coolidge mansion property in Portsmouth, NH.
    Dinghy at Wentworth-Coolidge

    The Wentworth-Coolidge historic site is located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on the shores of Little Harbor. This was the home of Benning Wentworth, the first royal governor of New Hampshire. The Coolidge family owned the property from 1886 to 1954, developing it as a summertime artist community. The Wentworth-Coolidge Commission continues this tradition of sponsoring arts and music events on the site, which includes a short walking trail and is open for house tours.

    I’ve taken many photographs of this site, but particularly like the image with the dinghy in the foreground, taken from the Heritage  cruise ship operated by Portsmouth Harbor Cruises.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses High-Dynamic Range (HDR) technique and an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. Available from my Etsy shop.

  • Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    A photograph of the Minuteman Statue at North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts.
    Minuteman Statue at North Bridge

    This iconic statue in Concord, Massachusetts was sculpted by Daniel Chester French in 1875. It commemorates the Minute Men, colonists who organized during the Revolutionary War to form trained militia groups in anticipation of battle against Great Britain. These men were often farmers as indicated by the plowshare in the statue. Typically deployed as sharpshooters and skirmishers, they prepared their equipment such that they could quickly be ready to fight, hence the term Minute Men.

    The statue is located next to North Bridge which spans the Concord River. Rebuilt several times, the current bridge replica was completed in 1956. This was the site of the first day of battle in the American War of Independence, where Americans fired upon the advancing British troops, killing three of them.

    At the North Bridge location in the summer, one often sees volunteers dressed in Colonial period attire, role-playing to educate visitors about life during that era. The National Park Service operates a visitor center a short walk up the hill from the bridge, and features a short video on the battle and exhibits that include “The Hancock”, a brass cannon that was smuggled out of Boston in 1775 and was subsequently confiscated by General Gage of the British Army.

    Part of my portfolio of photographs, this image uses an artistic software filter to impart a painterly appearance. Prints are available from my Pixels shop.

    The composition was inspired by The Minute Man stamp (Scott #619) issued in 1925 which depicts the statue as well as tablets inscribed with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1836 Concord Hymn poem.

    Signature Aviation requisitioned this image for their terminal lobby at Bedford L.G. Hanscom Field in Massachusetts.