Spring ahead

Spring began today (March 20, 2025) at 5:01 am EDT in the Northern Hemisphere, marking the spring equinox, when day and night are nearly equal in length. 

The illuminated manuscript featuring March from between 1412 - 1440 depicts some of the French farming practices from that time. 

In the foreground you can see plowing the fields with oxen. Beyond that they are pruning the vineyards and behind that to the left they are caring for sheep. 

At the top are the constellations, zodiac and image of Apollo with the sun. Phebus is another name for the sun god and he is featured in a poem by Thomas Randall of Eaton, NH here about the birth of spring and the death of winter. 

The poet Donald Hall captured a less optimistic scenario in his poem about maple syrup here. 

While astronomical spring began today, meteorological spring began on March 1. 

March is a time of variable weather and authors and poets had words to say about that too. 

One of my favorite quotes about spring weather comes from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”

We have certainly experienced that over the past few weeks. 

Robert Frost echoes a similar sentiment in his poem about two tramps in mud time.

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.

You know how it is with an April day

When the sun is out and the wind is still,

You’re one month on in the middle of May.

But if you so much as dare to speak,

A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,

A wind comes off a frozen peak,

And you’re two months back in the middle of March.

You can read the whole poem here. 

To learn more about historic art, poetry, farming and foodway practices from this time of year visit us at the Conway Public Library's Henney History Room.

A Silent Shift

There is a lot going on in the sled dog world this time of the year. For example, did you know that this month we celebrate the centennial of the 1925 serum run that led to the Iditarod? See the links here and here. 

On Saturday February 15 and Sunday, February 16 the Tamworth History Center will celebrate the history of the Chinook, New Hampshire's State Dog. FMI see this link here. 

On Sunday, February 16 the Tamworth Outing Club will host a Sled Dog Fun Day event. See these links here and here. 

Another sled dog event will be held in Laconia NH Feb 21-23. See this link here.  

Recently we at the Conway Public Library's Henney History Room helped with information about sled dogs and winter art for a new exhibit that opened last week. See the website here.

Near the center of the exhibit is a display case...

... that features memorabilia from sled dog races. 

Inside the case is a list of the items and their source. 

The large pewter prize trophy cup is from the Gorham NH Carnival Association, from a Feb 8, 1921 race won by D.P. Brown.  

Here is a scrapbook from the 1922 Berlin Winter Carnival...

... with photos of Arthur Walden and Chinook. 

On one of the nearby walls is a 1923 poster from the Berlin Winter Carnival...  

... with details of the Northern New Hampshire Dog Sled Race, featuring American teams of Arthur T. Walden and Edward P. Clark against Canadian teams from LaTuque and Quebec City. 

Another section features action photos of dog sled racing in Colebrook, NH. 

The label on the right explains that historically, dog sled races where a staple component of winter carnival events. 

It also points out that while warming winters are making dog sled races more difficult to schedule, there is still an active dog sled community in the area. 

It includes a QR code to watch Sally Manikian's lecture from November 2024 about her mushing experiences. For more on Sally, follow this google search here. 

Another section explores the role that Mount Washington has played in record breaking sled dog ascents, climate research and in polar exploration training. 

On the nearby wall is a list of the items on the angled case panel. 

Here are some of the images. 

5 and 6 

A.T. Walden and his Dog Sled Team on Mt. Washington, 1927 postcard Hunting's Studio, 

7

Mrs. Clarks Mt. Washington Trip, On Top of Mt. Washington, undated postcard 

The exhibit also features another passion of mine, White Mountain Art. Here are four winter scenes of New Hampshire's White Mountains. 

An introductory panel explains that most artists visited the White Mountains during the warmer seasons of the year and that winter scenes are rare

The top left painting shows "snowliage" season when we have snow on the high mountain peaks and fall foliage colors in the valley. 

The painting below that shows a full on winter scene with views of the Moat Mountains and Cathedral Ledge.  

The painting to the right of that is entitled Sunrise on the First Snow, painted in 2024 by a local artist Eric Koeppel. 

In the painting to the right of that, Rebecca Klementovich uses abstraction to capture winter in the Whites. 

Around the corner is this painting by Benjamin Champney, a logging sled with the Moat Mountains in the background. 

To round out the exhibit, there are sections on winter gear such as boots and jackets...

... hockey...

...snow shoes, skis ...

... and a film 

If you get a chance, you should go and visit this exhibit.

 

Happy Plough Monday! Enjoy your cottage loaf.

 

Congratulations, you have survived the most active season of major holidays. Plough Monday follows Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's and signals a return to the plough after all those festivities.

I find it interesting that of these major holidays, all derived from British and European traditions, that Plough Monday has not transferred to the United States calendar.

It is also unique to have a holiday that celebrates work, few holidays do.

In Britain, Plough Monday is observed on the first Monday after January 6, known by Christians as the Twelfth Night. Plough Monday is an old British harvest tradition that marks the start of the agricultural season. The day was a celebration for farm workers. 

It usually began in the local church with the blessing of the plow that included Molly dancers.

Then the decorated plow was paraded in the street with more music and mayhem as they collected money for a community feast.

The plow was often followed by a parading straw bear and costumed plough boys. 

Stick Season

We are well into what local Conway Daily Sun hiking columnist, Ed Parsons, describes in a recent article as the “stick season” that period between leaf peeping and the first snow (which may arrive tomorrow) as we celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday with a long history and numerous layers of meaning (more on this later). 

As Parsons points out, stick season allows us to view mountain peaks and profiles through the leafless trees to enjoy the panoramic vista usually hidden by foliage. As one who enjoys following in the footsteps of nineteenth-century White Mountain artists, hunting historic views and comparing them to White Mountain artworks I can appreciate this time of year. 

For example, with most of the leaves gone, you can get a sense of the view shown above. During the rest of the year, the foliage hides the scene from this location. 

For more info on the painting above follow this link here. 

Ed recommends that we appreciate what special things each season offers. He describes the joys of the smells, sounds and of course, sights, of stick season. 

It is only natural that many cultures have tracked the seasonal changes and developed special events to mark them. The major holidays of this time of the year celebrated around the world in different countries can be seen as a reaction to longer nights and shorter days as well as the end of the harvest season and a period of food uncertainty until Spring. 

In previous blogs, I have explored Thanksgiving and the way it is tied to historic traditions and seasonal changes.  

All the leaves are brown here. 

The soap makers here. 

Mapping the seasons here. 

Gator for Thanksgiving here. 

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween: Changes within a season and Reflections on mid to late autumn

This scene above is part of my regular commute to work. The view of the little white church nestled in fall foliage across Crystal Lake opens up after a long drive through kaleidoscopic tree tunnels this time of the year. Even though it is past peak it is still stunning!

On a different vibe, I also pass this less serene, but seasonally appropriate vista on my commute.

Within the "Halloween Manor" can be found this army of corn stalk zombies.  

I have not seen anything quite like this creative use of corn stalks before. Note exactly your friendly scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. I explored the history of more traditional ways of displaying corn stalks in a previous blog here. 

So far we have had a warm and colorful autumn, but that is about to change

let's review what has happened so far and what is to come. 

I like big words and I can not lie...

I find that specific words help to create a word picture that helps me identify and understand the seasonal changes I see around me. 

For example, 

The term for leaves changing color is senescence. 

The term for leaves dropping is abscission. 

The sound of gently rustling leaves is psithurism (from the Greek for "whispering")

As part of our free outreach program to local schools and community groups, our current intern, Juli Medeiros, presented an autumn show and tell at the Conway Adult Day Center. 

During the program she explored the image she is holding on loan for exhibit from the Conway Historical Society 

 

In studying artworks, it is important to look at the back .... 

The label on the back indicates it is not a painting but rather a chromo or chromolithograph.

The distinctive size, shape and color of the crop identifies it as corn. This is the origin of our modern decorations.

To learn more about interpreting the seasonal changes see the webpage that our intern Juli Medeiros created for the circulation display she created here.

Have a warm and happy Halloween. 

Map to the Mountains: New Haven to New Hampshire

In 1827, Daniel Wadsworth sent a map and suggested itinerary for a trip to the White Mountains to Thomas Cole that was scheduled to begin 197 years ago today. 

Today, that letter is in the Thomas Cole papers at the New York State Library in Albany (Box 3, Folder 7). See the link here.  

The letter is written on one piece of paper and folded as was the custom of the time to serve as its own envelope.  

Wadsworth sketched a rough map on the back of the letter (click on the images to enlarge them). 

The map is outlined in the yellow box below. 

Here is a detail of the letter and map with a transcription (click on images to enlarge them). 

In a recent blog here we followed in the footsteps of Thomas Cole's final trip to the White Mountains in 1839. Thomas Cole is a world famous artist and considered the founder of the Hudson River School of Art. In this blog we will learn more about how he first got to New Hampshire and a little about his first trip here.  

Details of Cole's first trip to New Hampshire are sketchy and Wadsworth's letter is one of the best pieces of evidence we have for the trip. 

Let's start with Daniel Wadsworth, the man behind the letter, map and many of Cole's canvases. 

Thomas Sully, Daniel Wadsworth, 1807

Wadsworth Athenaeum 1976.79

The Curatorial narrative from the Wadsworth Athenaeum website about this painting points out "The sitter dons buff leather gloves with red stitching, characteristic of those worn when traveling. Wadsworth was a romantic traveler and amateur artist in his own right, who searched for beautiful scenes to sketch. The dreamy gaze, tousled curly hair, and nonchalant pose add to the painting’s romantic sensibility." Wadsworth founded his museum in 1844. He was born in 1771 and died in 1848.

Wadsworth had the eye of an artist, but lacked the skill and talent to realize his vision. Fortunately for us, he had the motive and means to travel and the will to direct Thomas Cole to make the art he wanted for him. 

Here is a print attributed to Wadsworth that was published (facing title page) in 1826 in the 2nd edition (with 1827 additions) of Theodore Dwight's The Northern Traveler. 

To view the print from the book follow this link here. 

To read the associated text (pp 311-314) online follow this link and start here. 

The view is looking north with Mt. Willey on the left west, Mt. Webster on the right east and Mt. Willard in the center north. 

You can match the historic print to a more modern view through google maps in my entry in the theclio app here. 

and my photo from the site with signs 

Now you have your own map so you can follow in the footsteps of Daniel Wadsworth and Thomas Cole. 

July 3, 1839 Crawford Notch Following in the Footsteps of White Mountain Artists

 

185 years ago today, Thomas Cole and Asher B. Durand sketched in Crawford Notch. Cole's sketch was later used as the basis for one of his most famous paintings. For a discussion of the misidentification of that view see our previous blog here.

The Cole sketch is now in the collection of the Princeton University Art Museum. FMI see this link here. 

The Durand sketch is now in the collection of the New York Historical Society. FMI see this link here. 

The sketches are very similar and were taken from around the same vantage point. 

 

You can visit that site today. For directions and information see these links here and here.

The center of each sketch features the "gate" through which the road runs, Elephant Head on the left and the Notch House and barn from that time period. 

 

For more images in this area follow this link.

FMI contact the Conway Public Library's Henney History Room