Volunteer docent and photo-history expert Jim Ulrich next to the Museum's lunar module camera in the History of Photography Gallery at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York
I had a red-letter weekend this past weekend. I had a date on Saturday (I felt a bit like Mrs. Hughes in "Downton Abbey": "I'm astonished that at my age..."), which was a lot of fun. I drove to Rochester—her backyard—and we went to the George Eastman Museum (GEM)—a little patch of my territory. She knew her way around Rochester but not the Museum, and I knew my way around the Museum but not Rochester. So we complemented each other in that regard like Jack Spratt and his missus.
The GEM cannot quite decide what its name should be. I grew up with it as "The George Eastman House," or GEH, which is how I still think of it. I can't parse its naming history for you, but at some point its full name was "George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film."
The genteel facade facing East Avenue in Rochester might make you think it's some sort of quaint decaying house museum with just a bunch of some dead guy's random old things lying about. Don't be fooled. The sprawling mansion comprises a whopping 35,000 square feet and contains vast underground vaults and a 500-seat theater (which shows classic movies among other things). And even that facade is a fooler. It's (appropriately) in the Georgian Revival style, designed by the famous architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, but George E. was more than a bit of a nut—the whole mansion is constructed like a massive bunker, with walls of 14-inch-thick reinforced concrete. Even the roof is thick concrete underneath its demure shingles. Altogether, including George's eccentric renovations, the house cost more to build than the magnificent main building of the National Gallery on the Mall in Washington D.C.
And of course the photography collection is one of the world's best, with more than 14,000 photographers represented and numberless treasures. I think our tourguide said there are more than 450,000 pieces in the collection (films, photographs, objects, and ephemera), although with my innumeracy affliction you should please take that figure as provisional.
Pilgrimage
We were looking at the strange documentary work of objects by Robert Cumming, which is full of humor and at the same time emotionally barren, an odd combination (and not particularly date-friendly), when we were buttonholed by an affable docent named Jim Ulrich who was doing a sweep of the galleries rounding up people for his lecture on the history of photography. In the history gallery they were showing examples of Mexican photography, and Jim warmed to the Daguerreian era, which was fun. I will say that the GEM does a better job than any museum I know of showing equipment along with photographs—the cameras in the little history of photography room were awesome. Just the lineup of Leica rangefinders from first to latest was probably worth well into six figures, if not seven.
Later we met up with Jim again in the house, and he regaled us with more stories and even played the massive pipe organ for us. The pipe organ that serenaded George for an hour as he ate breakfast every morning was destroyed by fire in 1949, but the current replacement is the largest residential pipe organ in the world. Surround-sound, too!
George Eastman's famous suicide note under glass in the children's
classroom that used to be his bedroom. "To my friends /
my work is done / why wait? / GE."
Can anyone recommend a good biography of George Eastman? I get more curious about him every time I visit the GEM.
Long story short, the GEM is a gem, and worthy of a pilgrimage at some point in your life. Come in the temperate months when you can see the gardens and grounds, and check that the show on view at the time you'll come is something you want to see. It's a lot more than just an old mansion—it's a major photography museum on par with the best in the world.
As if that weren't good enough for one weekend, on Sunday an old college buddy from Dartmouth was in the area with his wife and several members of his far-flung, charming, sociable family—Scott was definitely one of the cool kids in school—and they invited me to join them for dinner at one of the best winery restaurants in the area, called Veraisons. We had a great time.
Despite all the activities on my date on Saturday, I do have to say that the best part of it was sitting in the near-deserted café for an hour and a half, just the two of us, chatting.
Oh, and one more thing—Jim Ulrich told me that "ordinary people"—that would be me—can request to view original prints from the GEM vaults, to look at up close and personal with white gloves on, just like I used to do all the time at the Library of Congress.
So if you never hear from me again, now you know the reason.
Mike
Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
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Featured Comments from:
Huw Morgan: "I would heartily second your opinion. GEM is a gem. For people who can afford it, I would recommend taking one of the excellent courses at the museum. Not only will you learn a new skill, but you'll also get to spend three days hanging around in the museum soaking up the atmosphere."
Mark Hobson: George Eastman: A Biography by Elizabeth Brayer—a magnificent, painstakingly researched book—702 pages—about a very interesting man. It is an absolute must read."
Bryce Lee: "All too many years ago was able to spend at day at the GEM. That was over 50 years ago; suspect it is no less impressive now. Mind it's not every residence that has a 'proper' non-digital pipe organ in-house...."
Speed: "Innumerate or not, you were in the ballpark.... 'The photography collection at the George Eastman Museum, among the oldest and best in the world, comprises more than 400,000 photographic objects dating from the introduction of the medium in 1839 through to the present day. It encompasses works made in all major photographic processes, from daguerreotype to digital, includes work by more than eight thousand photographers, and continues to expand.' From the Museum's website."
You'll probably appreciate this Eastman tidbit from local author Richard Reisem:
https://books.google.com/books?id=kxMLN0Z2PTsC&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=george+eastman+grave&source=bl&ots=l5fk9U30yL&sig=oHKtuMpKDmJSrEBXij1F4FT0S3s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRosmSzdHTAhXH7IMKHZ7nDdQQ6AEI4gEwIg#v=onepage&q=george%20eastman%20grave&f=false
My sister, once an ambitious landscape architecture student at Cornell, spent two Summers working at the gigantic Kodak Park factory complex where her job was maintaining George's gravesite. Eternal flame and all that jazz.
Posted by: Frank Petronio | Tuesday, 02 May 2017 at 12:19 PM
I visited the Eastman House about 30 years ago,
but my memory of it has faded like the pencil sharpener made from a 35mm film cartridge, that I got in their gift shop.
Posted by: Herman | Tuesday, 02 May 2017 at 01:42 PM
The standard George Eastman biography is Elizabeth Brayer's 700+ page book initially published in (I think) 1996. It's comprehensive and includes a lot of details about Eastman's post-Kodak philanthropy, and it's back in print in paperback form. Not a bad book at all, and it won a Pulitzer, but the author was on the staff of Eastman House, so I can't help thinking it may be just a bit sanitized. Eastman was clearly a fascinating and quirky fellow.
Posted by: Geoff Wittig | Tuesday, 02 May 2017 at 01:43 PM
I've found that curators at many well regarded institutions are delighted to have ordinary folks like me set up an appointment to view vintage prints from their collections that are rarely if ever exhibited. Most people never think to ask, but the staff are often flattered to get the interest. Some of my most fun museum visits have been to see my own private exhibit. But I've never had the pleasure at GEM.... thanks for the reminder.
Posted by: Jeff | Tuesday, 02 May 2017 at 05:23 PM
Mike, I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. The GEM had a lot to do with my becoming a photographer and making it my career. My parents took me there regularly from as far back as I can remember. My wife was working there when we met, as well. It is a remarkable resource, worth visiting on a regular basis. (I'll also recommend Beaumont Newhall's autobiography 'In Focus'; he of course turned it into a photography museum, rather than a camera hoard in a mansion).
Posted by: Mark Sampson | Tuesday, 02 May 2017 at 06:33 PM
Mike - As you had a date, I forgive you for not letting me know you were in town. :)
One of the treasures of GEM is its film (cinema) series that are screened, principally, in the Dryden Theatre. There are rare movies, new prints of classics, programming for children, even a nitrate festival, which is on now. There are always interesting remarks preceding the films, and sometimes there are directors or producers are guests
I don't go as often as I really should, but May and June is chock-a-block with classic and amazing films. I'll be spending more on these screenings than usual.
The upcoming schedule is here https://www.eastman.org/dryden-theatre - would make for a good date night, Mike. Just sayin'.
Posted by: Earl Dunbar | Tuesday, 02 May 2017 at 07:19 PM
Got to spend two full days there while in film graduate school, wayyyyy back in 1975. Their collection of gear/equipment was truly awe-inspiring. 2nd day spent viewing original prints. More awe! I would imagine it's only gotten better with age...
Posted by: Don Daso | Wednesday, 03 May 2017 at 08:34 AM
Mike
I will never see this museum, so thank you so much for your evocative description of it and what it holds.
As for the date, I am currently reading a book called called "Sparrows Fall" by an Australian writer, Terry Lane. It is the story of two lives presented by a 75 year old man as he talks with his 99 year old father. The father is dying envious of his son, because he, the father, never took a risk, never broke out. The son did -- and as a result, had some really good stuff and some really bad stuff happen.
Terry's own history is pretty interesting, and clearly he is working through some issues in his own life. He did take some risks -- but not necessarily the ones he is talking about! :)
But yes, as a 75 year old, living precariously in paradise (Rabaul, New Guinea) with a fairly recently acquired wife and four (count them, 1, 2, 3, 4) adopted kids aged from 7 to 17, I counsel you to go for it.
Date away, young fellow. Life is for living!
Cheers, Geoff
Posted by: Geoffrey Heard | Wednesday, 03 May 2017 at 09:21 AM
PS -- I danced to Island Rock in the street in Boroko, Port Moresby, today with a woman busker, to the vast entertainment of passers-by.
Put on some Island Rock, and my feet are at your command!
See: http://rabaulpng.com/we-are-all-traveling-throug/i-like-to-dance.html
Cheers, Geoff
Posted by: Geoffrey Heard | Wednesday, 03 May 2017 at 09:25 AM
I heartily recommend the George Eastman House / Museum to all photographers, a recommendation I base upn having lived within easy walking distant from where I lived as an undergraduate. When just staring to learn about photography, I appreciated being able to see that amazing collection of important, seminal photographers.
Posted by: James Dyrek | Wednesday, 03 May 2017 at 12:31 PM
The picture caption is incorrect. It should be Volunteer docent and photo-history expert Jim Ulrich next to the Museum's Lunar Orbiter camera.
Lunar Orbiter was a follow up to the Ranger program to give an overall photographic map of the moon with a curious mix of secret and open hardware.
From Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Orbiter_program
It also shows the cross over between secret world of the NRO and the public world of NASA.
FWIW, the Lunar Orbiter I cameras took the first image of an earthrise (in 1966, two years before the astronauts of Apollo 8 took their shots) though as it didn't look as good as one taken in color with a Hasselblad it never was well known.
Given that they had that shot why no-one tasked the astronauts to take an earth-rise photo (it was literally a snapshot: the astronauts saw the scene and though they should take the shot) is still a bit of a mystery. Perhaps the lunar program needed more artists!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:First_View_of_Earth_from_Moon.jpg
Posted by: Kevin Purcell | Wednesday, 03 May 2017 at 06:59 PM
As an eleven-year-old, I first visited the Eastman House on a cold winter Sunday afternoon in 1962. I vividly remember the moving images created by the flipping cards inside the Mutoscopes on display in the colonnade. Fifty-five years later I find myself at the Eastman at least once a week for lunch, exhibition, movie or sometimes even a photo course. Quite a place! The Mutoscopes are still there, too... upstairs in the Discovery Room.
Posted by: Lee Rust | Wednesday, 03 May 2017 at 08:31 PM