Hartford Daily Photo

Leap Year

2012-02-29T05:30:00.001-05:00

This year is Leap Year and today is the day. So, how do I portray "Leap Year?"

Easy. I go up to a bunch of super heroes and say "Jump!"

At the 5K race before the Edison Festival of Light Grand Parade in Fort Myers.

What did the groundhog see?

2012-02-28T05:30:00.000-05:00

Even though February is the shortest month in the calendar, I always thought it was the longest month psychologically. It is the part of the winter when most New Englanders are getting pretty tired of winter, even mild winters like this one.

So, here is a reminder that winter is going to end. Sunbather by Duane Hanson, 1971, in the Wadsworth Atheneum.

Check Out

2012-02-27T05:30:00.000-05:00

This large painting hangs over the "Check Out" counter at the New Britain Public Library. It was painted by Sanford Low and Walter Korder.

Low was the first director of the New Britain Museum of American Art. He was a Hawaiian who was sent to a Connecticut prep school, which he hated. He ran away and enrolled in the Museum School in Boston, where his passion for art emerged, as did his knack for cultivating relationships with rich folks. He married the daughter of a rich New Britain family and moved there to build his art career. This mural was painted in the 1930s, Low's first decade in New Britain.

A decade later he became the NBMAA's director. When he began, the collection had 24 paintings. By the time he died in 1964 after 25 years as director, the museum had more than 1500 works of art.

This is linked to Monday Mural.

Puerto Rican Families

2012-02-26T05:30:00.001-05:00

This sculpture was dedicated in 2009, to honor immigrant Puerto Rican families' contributions to America. It was crafted by the Puerto Rican sculptor, José Buscaglia-Guillermety.

The statue is on the grounds of the Learning Corridor, a complex of magnet schools, including one for the arts and another for mathematics. The Learning Corridor is in the south end of Hartford, the center of Hartford's Hispanic population.

The photographs are from last summer, but I wanted to connect them with yesterday's post about the Hartford school named for a Puerto Rican hero.

Hartford has a relatively big and growing Hispanic population. The current mayor is a Latino, as was his predecessor.

Betances School

2012-02-25T05:30:00.000-05:00

The Betances School is just east of Main Street in the Charter Oak neighborhood of Hartford. It was named for the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement.

Library Skylight

2012-02-24T05:30:00.001-05:00

This shot looks up in the atrium of the Hartford Public Library, which we visited recently here and here and here.

Like reflections? Click here.

Furs

2012-02-23T05:23:00.000-05:00

What do you think about fur coats? Love them or hate them? West Hartford Center.

George Washington

2012-02-22T05:30:00.000-05:00

Today is George Washington's birthday. This bas relief is in an out-of-the-way spot near a side door of the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford. It marks the location where General Washington met in 1780 with his French counterpart, comte de Rochambeau, to discuss strategy for fighting the British army. They had a reception at the home of Jeremiah Wadsworth on Main Street in Hartford, which is now the site of the Wadsworth Atheneum.

A Fan

2012-02-21T05:30:00.000-05:00

When I was getting ready to take photos of this sculpture at the Wadsworth Atheneum, a welder working on the roof started walking up the stairs. He turned back and said, "That is my favorite statue, too." I couldn't let his enthusiasm pass without putting him in the picture. He looks happier than they do.

Movies Made in Connecticut

2012-02-20T05:30:00.000-05:00

OK. We're not Hollywood. I get that.

From the "Made in Connecticut" exhibition in the Old State House.

Mary

2012-02-19T05:30:00.000-05:00

This statue of Mary is near the entrance to St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield.

Classy Smart and Manly

2012-02-18T05:30:00.000-05:00

Posters on an abandoned building in the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford.

No, I have no idea what the posters mean.

Sunburst

2012-02-17T05:30:00.000-05:00

I never find the right time to show this simple photo of the Travelers Tower and a sunburst. If it is cloudy and snowing today where you are, maybe the nice blue sky will be welcome.

Please click here to see more reflection photos.

Time Machine Hobby

2012-02-16T05:30:00.000-05:00

A surprising number of train fans commented yesterday.

The train installations at Time Machine Hobby in Manchester are huge and -- if you get low enough to block out the other stuff in the rooms and if you ignore the layers of dust -- quite lifelike.

Downtown in the '50s

2012-02-15T05:30:00.000-05:00

Time Machine Hobby is a huge toy store in Manchester, Connecticut. It is the kind of place where adult men drag their kids along, to provide an excuse for the dad to play with toy trains and cars and other reminders of lost youth. In addition to multiple train layouts, there is also at least one layout for model cars and buildings.

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T05:30:00.000-05:00

All the best to you and yours.

Pigs

2012-02-13T05:30:00.000-05:00

Recently I came across this great quote. (Did I steal it from one of you?)

"I am fond of pigs.

Dogs look up to us.

Cats look down on us.

Pigs treat us as equals." - Winston Churchill

I didn't have any pig photos from Hartford, so here is one from Florence, Italy, taken in 2010. It is in the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo. There was a line of pretty girls and their boy friends waiting to take pictures of the girl rubbing the pig's snout. If this is an Italian mating custom, I can't explain it.

Abraham Lincoln

2012-02-12T05:30:00.000-05:00

Hartford Public Library exhibits books about President Abraham Lincoln. Today is Lincoln's 202nd birthday.

Artsy?

2012-02-11T05:30:00.000-05:00

You don't see many "artsy" pictures here. I am much too literal-minded . . . it is just the way my mind works. But I liked the way these chairs were lined up for a talk at Hartford Public Library the last time I visited.

OK. They aren't really very artsy. Sorry. I'll go back to taking pictures of things and scenes and people.

For Rent

2012-02-10T05:30:00.000-05:00

No, I am sorry, I can't explain it.

Seen on the second floor of a building on Allyn Street in Hartford.

More reflections? Click here.

SMASH

2012-02-09T05:30:00.001-05:00

Time for a change of pace.

Night club on Allyn Street In Hartford.

Amistad Collection

2012-02-08T05:30:00.000-05:00

The Wadsworth Atheneum houses a special center for African American art. This is a sculpture hallway in the Amistad Center for Art and Culture.

The Negro Looks Ahead is a 1944 bronze by Richmond Barthe, a prominent member of the artists, writers and other intellectuals who gave rise to the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s.

Prudence Crandall

2012-02-07T05:30:00.000-05:00

Today's post recognizes Black History Month (also called African American History Month).

Prudence Crandall operated a school for girls in Canterbury, Connecticut. In 1832, a young black girl asked Ms. Crandall to educate her. Ms. Crandall admitted her to the school, creating a controversy.
The parents of all the white girls removed them from the school, so Ms. Crandall had to close the school. When it reopened, it became a school for black girls. Soon 20 African American girls from up and down the East Coast attended the school.

Controversy continued. The State of Connecticut enacted The Black Law, prohibiting a school from admitting African American students without permission from the town. A lawsuit was filed. The school eventually won in the Connecticut Supreme Court, but the situation was still dangerous. In 1834 Prudence Crandall closed her school and moved away. The Black Law was repealed in 1838. Many years later the Connecticut legislature attempted to compensate Ms. Crandall by granting her a small pension. The school is now a museum.

The statute is near the entrance to the Connecticut Capitol. It was created by New York Sculptor Gabriel Koren. The statue is bronze but looks like clay.

Tough Loss

2012-02-06T05:30:00.000-05:00

Giants 21, Patriots 17.
This sad dog is from the Volkswagen ad. Image taken by photographing the TV. Credit to NBC.

Go Patriots!

2012-02-05T05:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots play the New York Giants. Hartford is midway between Boston and New York City, so Hartford-area National Football League football fans will be split pretty evenly.

I grew up a dozen miles north of Boston, so my loyalties are obvious. My lucky Patriots shirt is washed. My Patriots banner is hanging outside. My big-screen television is working great. The cupboard and frig are full. Bring it on!! Go Patriots!!!

Stalls and Walls and Tiles

2012-02-04T05:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I showed the ceiling of Hartford Public Library and observed that the ceiling is reflective. How about this well polished floor?

The walls at the end of this scene are supersized photos of Hartford cultural sites. My 2011 Photo of the Year used a different part of this wall.

This shot was taken in the fall, while the trees still had green leaves.

Welcome

2012-02-03T05:30:00.001-05:00

The first floor ceiling of the Hartford Public Library is reflective. I could produce a year's worth of reflections here, but that would be too easy.

Like reflection photos? Click here to visit James' Weekend Reflections blog.

Stairwell

2012-02-02T05:30:00.000-05:00

OK, I will admit that this is a favorite photo. Maybe because I liked geometry in high school. And because I like the bold colors in the wall beyond the stairwell. They remind me of Frank Stella's minimalist paintings.

This is my last post about the Capitol's interior for now. I will return later to show some of the important rooms and some statues and exhibitions.

Hart

2012-02-01T05:30:00.000-05:00

The stag is seen often in Hartford symbols, including this seal in the Connecticut State Capitol. The name Hartford (honoring Hertford, England, the home of a Hartford founder) is based on hart, or male deer.

The theme for City DailyPhoto bloggers in February is "animals." Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

It wasn't easy continuing my tour of the Capitol's interior architecture and still participating in Theme Day.

East Wing of the Capitol

2012-01-31T05:30:00.000-05:00

Here, I went upstairs and widened the view, to show fewer details but more of big picture.

Corinthian Columns

2012-01-30T05:30:00.000-05:00

On this first visit inside the Capitol, we will focus on the interior architecture. On a later visit we can see some of the exhibitions and rooms.

The Capitol was last completely renovated over a decade, from 1979 to 1989. It still looks good.

I thought about straightening this photo, but I thought the slant gave some energy to a quiet picture.

Entering the Capitol

2012-01-29T05:30:00.000-05:00

To go inside the Capitol, we have to open the doors. Not too quickly, of course, because the heavy oak doors have stately doorknobs and escutcheons, and we want to linger for a moment to enjoy them.

Did you notice that the knob on the left isn't straight? (They show the seal of the State of Connecticut.)

The Capitol's Dome

2012-01-28T05:30:00.000-05:00

You have seen the Connecticut State Capitol from the outside many times before, like in this blog's banner photo and here and here and here.

It is time for me to go inside and show you some things. But not before showing you the beautiful gold-leafed dome and the classical statues that ring it.