MR. JEFFERSON’S COLUMNS

MAY 22, 2026

                                                               MR. JEFFERSON'S COLUMNS

I’ve begun to put some of my photographs from our recent rip to Wales on my photo pages on 500pix and Instagram, and encourage you to check those out. But I’d like to take a look this week at an image from my new book, “Urban Fragments.”

This image dates from nearly forty years ago, near as I can tell. The state of my archives is such that its mere existence is something of a miracle. There is no way I can find the “original” snapshot, so this version will have to do. 

The Jefferson Memorial is one of my favorite places on earth, not so much for the memorial or its sculpture, which are perfectly fine, but for its site which is extraordinary. The memorial sits on the edge of the Tidal Basin. This is a pretty prosaic description of the portion of the Potomac that allows for some flood control while framing the monument and the incredible grove of cherry blossoms that makes springtime in Washington almost make up for the dreadful summers that follow.

My lifestyle as a self-employed architect allowed me to be one of the few Washingtonians that could enjoy a casual trip to this site. Most other people encountered it in the midst of a horrible morning commute on the way to work. I had no real place to go, so when I found myself by accident involved with thousands of angry drivers, I could bail and find a rare parking spot nearby. A short walk would take me through the trees to the Memorial. In those far away times, there were not even any guards, and I usually had the place to myself.

This image is a good example of what I call an “urban fragment.” It is my attempt to get as far away from the typical  postcard as I possibly can. Of course I already had that postcard view, complete with reflection, but it really didn’t make much of an impression, at least to me. My fragment strategy leads to images that require an intense focus on just one aspect of the subject. Here I paid strict attention to the morning light and shadow around a few of the columns of the memorial. These are the simplest of the classical orders - the Doric order relies on strength and simplicity rather than more exuberant details. The bases and especially the simple as can be capitals do not attempt to hide the simple structural basis of the architecture. They easily adjust to the circular nature of the memorial. 

A critic of my fragment strategy can always point out the fact that I might have placed so much attention on one thing that I have lost any semblance of context at all. I have made an image of the Jefferson Memorial that does not include the Dome, the Statue, and even the site itself. I would submit that only those who have visited the memorial might have a clear idea of the subject at all. But I think an image like this, for those “in the know” might mean a lot more than the typical postcard. It certainly does to me, forty years later.