Object of the Month

A Presidential Visit to Martha’s Vineyard: Ulysses S. Grant in August, 1874

格兰特总统和他们在黑文主教别墅的聚会照片,立体照片

President Grant and party at Bishop Haven’s cottage

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[ This description is from the project: Object of the Month ]

This stereograph, photographed and published in 1874 by R. G. Shute of Edgartown, Mass., depicts President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia; Orville E. Babcock (Grant’s private secretary) and his wife Annie; Miss Campbell (Annie Babcock’s sister), 和巴恩斯小姐在卫斯理葛洛夫吉尔伯特·海文主教小屋的门廊上, Martha’s Vineyard. Grant was the first sitting president to visit the Vineyard.

Hail to the Chief

Today, 玛莎葡萄园岛对包括克林顿总统和奥巴马总统在内的高调游客并不陌生,他们带着家人和随从抵达该岛,然后迅速离开私人度假胜地, emerging occasionally to bike, eat ice cream, shop, or golf. But when Ulysses S. Grant arrived on the island in late August 1874, 当时,该岛还不是夏季旅游胜地,格兰特住在卫斯理葛洛夫卫理公会露营会所在的密集村舍群中的一间小屋里. Although the camp meeting was in full swing, 毫无疑问,宗教活动被总统访问的兴奋所掩盖, at least for a few days.

Arriving via Wood’s Hole aboard the steamer River Queen, previously one of Grant’s dispatch boats during the Civil War, 迎接总统的是一辆“装饰华丽”的电车,由六匹黑马拉着, pursued by thousands of curiosity seekers, 把总统送到吉尔伯特·海文主教在克林顿大道的小屋. 总统一天中剩下的时间就像一阵旋风——他出现在卫理公会教堂的礼拜堂里,那里“天篷下和周围的空间都是一群热切的人”,” dinner at the Central House, viewing of a spectacular illumination and fireworks display, a reception for Mrs. Grant, 最后是一首月光下的小夜曲,格兰特对此作了如下的回应:“我感谢你愉快的问候. No doubt you are tired and sleepy, as I am, so I will not detain you. Good Night.”

The following morning, the presidential party left the island for Nantucket and Hyannis, returning in the late evening. 第二天,格兰特访问了麻萨诸塞州米尔顿市约翰·默里·福布斯的家——Naushon岛. 福布斯是一位著名的共和党人,一些人猜测格兰特此行的原因是想知道他是否支持自己的第三个任期. Forbes and Grant had once been close, but had clashed over political issues, 包括任命威廉·西蒙斯为波士顿港的收藏家(也许不是巧合), Simmons was instrumental in the preparations for Grant’s island visit, 确保每件事都井井有条,而且格兰特最喜欢的雪茄随时都在手边。). 目前尚不清楚福布斯和格兰特在他们的私人聊天中谈了些什么, but by 6:30, Grant was back on the Vineyard for a dinner hosted by J. W. Harper of the New York publishing firm at the Sea View Hotel. 随后举行了招待会,据说有1000多人与总统握手. The President took his leave of the reception after an hour or so, although the dancing and other festivities lasted until midnight.

The final day of Grant’s visit coincided with “Big Sunday,” as the last day of Camp Meeting was known, 格兰特和他的妻子在离开之前参加了卫斯理教堂的晨祷 Monohansett for New Bedford. Mrs. 格兰特表达了她对岛屿和卫斯理格罗夫营地会议的喜悦. 总统一如既往地沉默寡言,微微鞠了一躬,向人群挥了挥手,就返回了大陆.

A Short History of Wesleyan Grove

营地集会是各种新教教派普遍采用的一种户外宗教复兴形式. 起源于人们从遥远的地方聚集的边境地区, pitch their tents around a clearing, and enjoy a period of sustained preaching, hymn singing, and religious fellowship, camp meetings grew in popularity throughout the 19th century, especially among Methodists. The Martha’s Vineyard camp meeting was established in 1835, growing from nine tents in the first year to 200 by 1855. Hebron Vincent, who chronicled the Wesleyan Grove meetings from the beginning, 形容葡萄园会议“注定会变得越来越重要……可能会成为众多人的集会点。. A convenient landing, level ground, a delightful grove, and an abundant supply of the sweetest water, 这个地方对野营爱好者有什么诱惑吗."鉴于在玛莎葡萄园岛营地会议协会的支持下,宗教仪式一直持续到今天, Rev. Vincent was right on target.

卫斯理格罗夫以其独特的“姜饼”小屋而闻名,它在1859年至1864年间开始出现,被认为是当地工匠的发明. Today about 300 remain, including Bishop Haven’s. A contemporary article in the New York Times described the cottages as

… very pretty, with Gothic arches and balconies; they consist of only two small rooms and are open at each end constantly … giving one a glimpse of all that transpires within … Canary birds sing outside the doors. Tree trunks are converted into moss-draped baskets of flowers. Ivy drapes the white tents with a beauty beyond architecture.

毫无疑问,一簇簇的小木屋和帐篷使卫斯理小树林成为一个神奇的精神之地. When the adjacent town of Oak Bluffs was developed in the late 1860s, 别墅和街道的布置直接从卫斯理小树林获得灵感, although interpreted by professional architects and landscape designers.

What is a Stereograph?

Stereographs were among the earliest attempts at 3-D photography. 它们由两张几乎完全相同的照片(通常是纸质的)组成, but occasionally glass), mounted side by side so that, when seen through a stereograph viewer (or by squinting), 观众看到的是三维的图像,而不是平面的摄影图像. 1851年,立体达盖尔照相法在伦敦水晶宫展览会上首次向公众介绍, and by 1870, 美国各地的摄影师都在制作纸质视图,出售给狂热的公众. In 1859, poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.他发明了一种手持式立体图像观看器,并在《og体育官网》上对立体图像大加赞赏 Atlantic Monthly.

通过立体镜看一张好照片的第一个效果是一种前所未有的惊喜. The mind feels its way into the very depths of the picture. 前景中一棵枯槁的树枝向我们伸出来,好像要把我们的眼睛抠出来似的. … there is such a frightful amount of detail, 自然赋予我们无限的复杂性,我们也有同样的感觉……立体的形象没有给我们带来任何好处……

Holmes concluded his article with recommendations for viewers, as well as tips for collecting stereographs. 虽然立体摄影在1870年到1920年左右是最流行的,但它们今天仍在生产. Another familiar iteration of the technology is the ViewMaster, 在1939年的世界博览会上被引入,在整个20世纪都受到孩子们的喜爱.

For further reading

Gorham, Barlow Weed. Camp Meeting Manual: A Practical Book for the Camp Ground in Two Parts. Boston: H.V. Degen, 1854 

Holmes, Oliver Wendell. “The Stereoscope and the Stereograph,” Atlantic Monthly, vol. 3 (June 1859), p. 738-748

In addition to hundreds of stereographs, the MHS collection includes two replicas of Holmes’s stereograph viewer.

Jasnov, Brittany, ed. "The Clintons Were Here, 《奥巴马一家:总统在玛莎葡萄园岛度假的秘史,” A History of Presidential Vacations on Martha’s Vineyard, Boston Magazine.

有关玛莎葡萄园岛露营会议协会的信息可以在他们的网站上找到, mvcma.org

Norton, Henry Franklin. Martha’s Vineyard: Historical, Legendary, Scenic. Hartford: Pyne Printery, 1923.

Railton, Arthur R. “When Grant Took the Island,” Dukes County Intelligencer, vol. 29, no. 1 (Aug. 1987), p. 1-25

Vincent, Hebron. A History of the Wesleyan Grove, Martha's Vineyard, Camp Meeting: From the First Meeting Held There in 1835 to That of 1858, Inclusive; Interspersed with Touching Incidents and General Remarks. Boston: Rand & Avery, 1858.

Weiss, Ellen. 《森林中的城市:玛莎葡萄园岛美国露营会议的生活与设计》. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.