RADFORD — A treasure trove of historic photographs nearly lost to time will be on display at Glencoe Mansion now through Oct. 29.
The museum will host a talk with the creators of the exhibit on Thursday, Sept. 25, at 5:30 p.m.
“Kindly Mirrors: The Photography of Richard Miles “Dick” Shank and Gertrue Vest Shank” was found as a stack of forgotten photographic negatives in an attic in Floyd County. When developed they revealed an amazing artistic glimpse into early 20th-century life in Southwest Virginia.
The 32 photographs in the exhibit were taken between 1912 and 1917 by “Dick” and Gertrue Shank who were living in Floyd County at the time. Using a Brownie camera that Gertrue Vest owned before she married Dick Shank, the Shanks preserved their landscapes, joys, and day-to-day lives in images that appear almost contemporary. The photographs offer intimate moments: a lamb being bottle fed, a child playing hide and seek, a baptizing.
The exhibit’s title comes from a line in the short story “A Guide to Berlin” by Vladimir Nabokov: “I think that here lies the sense of literary creation–to portray ordinary objects as they will be reflected in the kindly mirrors of future times; to find in the objects around us the fragrant tenderness that only posterity will discern and appreciate in the far-off times when every trifle of our plain everyday life will become exquisite and festive in its own right…”
Curators Ricky Cox, Catherine Pauley, and Alice Slusher created the exhibit for the Old Church Gallery, a cultural arts museum located at 110 Wilson Street in Floyd. After scanning the original negatives, they edited and produced each print digitally. Jonathan Mayer and the staff of Radford University Printing offered technical advice and handled the final printing.
Come explore this amazing piece of art and history. The Glencoe Mansion is open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sundays, 1-4 p.m.. All are welcome to visit, and there is no admission charge.
Glencoe Mansion
