Oh to be Rich!

🚍A recent bus trip to Newport, RI provided so many diverse opportunities for  photography. The city is known for the "summer cottages" of the rich and famous of the early 1900s.  Many of them lived in New York City and wanted to escape the summer heat and enjoy the fresh, ocean air. 

   They concentrated on entertaining with extravagant dinners, dances and parties. The hosts tried to out do each other to display their wealth and good taste.    

I found inspiration for a number of future blogs and felt it hard to narrow down the number of pictures to post here.  The city is on the water, providing many nautical scenes. (This will be a source for a future article.)  The opulence of the famed homes included opportunity to shoot extra wide views, or macro, zeroing in on the minute details of the number of artifacts preserved in each house.  I found it overwhelming trying to take in all that I saw.

At times, no matter how good the picture, it failed to match the view I had.  Two dimensional representations were inadequate to provide the same emotional impact as the three-dimensional experience of being in the picture and not just looking at it.

  

It reminded me of those busy sketches in which familiar objects were placed in a larger scene.  The challenge was to find the objects.  The longer one looked, the more items could be discovered.

On my tour, I noticed more interesting things if I took the time to grasp the details.  The fringe on curtains and furniture.  Designs on floors and ceilings.  Carvings over doorways and on door knobs.

  

Many of the doors in the dwellings contained a lot of glass so that the objects in the corners behind them could be seen.  Every nook and cranny made use of those spaces by putting some eye candy there...  More stages for the multitude of gorgeous property they owned and wanted to show off.

Even personal items which were rarely seen by anyone other than the owner were 

extravagantly dear.  

All of the homes were attention grabbers that bedazzled and mesmerized people before stepping inside.    The architecture, landscaping and design all foretold the extravagance of the people who lived inside.

  The Breakers was owned by the Vanderbilts who made their fortune in rail roads. Their children rode their bicycles in the large entry way hall!        

    Unfortunately time did not allow a visit to the gardens. 

Their enormous gates were formidable! 

Each of the residences had enormous entryways where ornate staircases descend from the floor above and stretched out as if to welcome those who came. The curves and carvings of the railings were fashioned by master craftsman able to incorporate complex and intricate designs.

            What are your homes like?  

An old English proverbs states "Home is a man's castle."

Would you want any of the furnishings you saw in the pictures?  What would your ideal abode be, if it could be done on your budget?  Have you photographed houses?  Some of you have built your houses or constructed your own additions and upgrades. 

There are many famous places like the White House  but for me, I am content to live by the side of the road in a comfortable, humble, place and "be a friend to mankind." (see The House by the Side of the Road by Sam Walter Foss.)