Feb
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Collection “highlights”: NC Lighthouses
February 2, 2009 | Subscribe to this post
Posted by Elizabeth Hull in Landmarks & Attractions
As I’m currently making my third and final “pass” through the negatives in the “North Carolina Places” series, I couldn’t help but note the many fine Morton images of our state’s famous lighthouses (nor could I resist the pun in this post’s title — “high lights,” get it? Ugh, sorry).
All three of the images in this post are testaments to Hugh Morton’s artistic eye. Lighthouses are photographed so often, and usually in highly mediocre fashion. It is, admittedly, difficult to bring visual interest to a tall, skinny object — but Morton achieves it here through framing, pattern, and the use of models.
In the photo above of the Ocracoke Island Lighthouse (notably, the second oldest lighthouse in the U.S. in continuous service), the shadow, shape and texture of the tree in the foreground draw the eye powerfully to the image’s primary subject. Meanwhile, in the Cape Hatteras image below, the placement of the female models and the patterning of the foremost model’s bathing suit provide dramatic variation and contrast with the lighthouse’s famous stripes. (Ladies in swimsuits usually don’t hurt in terms of visual interest, either — as Morton was keenly aware).
The Oak Island image below may be my favorite. There’s just something very charming about the stance and placement of the model (who I suspect is a young Jim Morton), the jaunty angles of his arms, and the way the stripes of his t-shirt echo the stripes of the lighthouse. Well played, Mr. Morton.
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Links
- ArchivesNext - Blog examining archives and technology
- Biographical Conversations with . . . Hugh Morton - An episode from the UNC TV program featuring a one-on-one conversation with Hugh Morton
- Chapel Hill Memories - Recollections and memorabilia from Chapel Hill native Charly Mann
- Duke Digital Collections - Updates and discussion from staff of the Duke Libraries’ Digital Collections Program
- Field Trip South - Blog of the Southern Folklife Collection (SFC), Wilson Library, featuring SFC, follow SFC holdings, events, sights, sounds, etc.
- Grandfather Mountain - Scenic attraction and nature preserve in Linville, NC owned by Morton from 1952 until his death in 2006
- Morton Biography from Grandfather Mountain website
- NC Collection Photographic Archives
- NC Digital Collections Collaboratory - For Digital Librarians in North Carolina to share experiences, exchange ideas, and develop collaborations.
- NC Miscellany Blog - Blog of the North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, UNC-CH
- Posterity Project - Blog related to archives, history, civic responsibility, and open access to public records in Tennessee
- Processing the Chew Family Papers - Reports on an NEH-funded project to process the papers of the Chew Family at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
- Southern Short Course in News Photography - America’s longest running photojournalism seminar, of which Morton was a founder
- Southern Sources - Interesting staff finds, curiosities, old favorites, and other cool stuff from Wilson Library’s Southern Historical Collection
- UNC Libraries
- UNC-CH Digital Collections homepage
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What a crazy coincidence — the Hatteras photo used in this recent NC Miscellany post appears to be from the same photo session as the one above (same model/swimsuit!!). I promise these were not coordinated, and I had not seen the other post prior to writing this one. Wacky.
Great follow up to your Bodie Island Lighthouse post of July 18, 2008, Elizabeth. There are several Morton lighthouse photo sources in a comment following that entry.
Just found a Morton image of the Hatteras lighthouse used for a postcard, in ECU’s Joyner Library Digital Collections.
I love the framing of the Ocracoke Island Lighthouse and I also love the angles in the photo, with the shed counter balancing the lean of the tree. Fantastic!
Yes, the boy in the Oak Island picture is Jim Morton.
My favorite lighthouse picture of Hugh’s is of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse,the one on page three of “Hugh Morton’s North Carolina”.The transparency would be in the part of your collection identified as having been used in that book
Thanks for sharing beautiful pictures. I love light house. There is a couple of them just 30 min drive from my house.
Great photos. You also got to love those bathing suits. It’s interesting to see that style has made a bit of a comeback.
These are some breathtaking photos, thanks for sharing them. I live in Maine where we have a lot of lighthouses.
Nice collections of lighthouses. The first picture with the tree in the front is amazing, I love the angle of how the picture was taken.