Baker's Dozen Call for Work: House

Hills-DeCaro house, first floor. Initial
design by Frank Lloyd Wright.

For the next Baker's Dozen, let's try something I wrote about recently: houses. There's a long and interesting tradition of picturing houses, which we might talk about along the way.

Here's the game:

The subject should be a permanent freestanding built domicile (where people live, i.e., not a campsite, treehouse, cave, etc.). Mainly looking for a house you feel is particularly beautiful or harmonious, but it can be one that you feel makes an attractive picture (amazing light, elegaic ruin, lovely colors, etc.); that has special meaning to you; or one that you feel has any other specified kind of interest. Exteriors are generally what we're looking for, but interiors are fine if that's what you want to submit.

First prize (just for fun), with me as the sole judge (although I'll be influenced by readers' opinions and reactions): a mini-portfolio of your work posted here on TOP and a written introduction to you. (You can of course decline if you're Greta Garbo*.)

Anyone within reach of these words can play, amateur or professional. (We usually get about 100–200 submissions for 13 places in the portfolio, so your odds are pretty good. On the other hand, the standard is usually quite high.)

How to Submit

This is a call for your own work, and you must own the rights to it. TOP will make absolutely no claim to your rights now or ever; by submitting, you give me permission to publish your picture here at TOP, with credit, but not to make any other use of it.

To submit, please use the subject line:

BDhouse

Just like that...no spaces, spelled exactly like that, no variations. Lowercase "h" in house. The reason is that when I begin building the post, I will search my email stack (which is large and unruly) for that phrase as the subject, and if your email doesn't come up, then I won't see your picture. Pay attention to this, as each time I specify this I do get emails that don't have the proper subject line. Those inevitably either get lost or cause headaches.

I'll announce the deadline when we get near it, but it'll be more or less two weeks from now, so you have some time. As I did last time, I'll try my best to get the result posted reasonably promptly.

Email ONE (1) JPEG, 800 pixels wide, saved in sRGB. Make sure you don't have your email software set to reduce the size of attachments.

Include in the email a paragraph including your name, where you live (city or town and country), any technical details you care to share, your website URL if you'd like me to publish it, and whatever you'd like to tell other TOP readers about your picture.

Name
Location
Technical details
Story or description

My email address is [email protected].

Have fun!

Mike

*Swedish-American movie star active 1920–41 who famously retired saying "I want to be alone" and lived thereafter as a semi-recluse.

Original contents copyright 2023 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Chris Kern: "Great subject idea, but unfortunately I will not be able to submit my favorite photograph of 'a permanent freestanding built domicile.' Not because I’m reluctant to share it, but because I didn't make it. It’s an 1895 picture of a stately home in Woodsfield, Ohio, that was shot by an unknown photographer, probably at the behest of my maternal great-grandfather, Wickliffe Ewing Mallory (he apparently always went by 'W.E.' and you can hardly blame him for that) to memorialize the house he had built two years earlier. It’s not the attractive structure that interests me so much as the remarkable tableau the photographer (or my great-grandfather) created of the extended family posed around it. The younger of the two little girls standing in front of the corner of the porch is my grandmother at the age of four. That’s W.E. himself watching the croquet game on the right side of the frame.

"My siblings and I knew nothing about the house until my brother discovered a scan of it on my father’s computer after my mother’s death; my father couldn’t recall why she had asked him to scan it or whose house it was. Years later, when we were clearing out their house following his death, we found an original print among a box of my mother’s memorabilia, which is the source of the scan in the link above."

Mike replies: That really is a wonderful picture. How great for you that it's in your family. By the way, you have quite a feel for architecture. You should give this Baker's Dozen a go.

Charles Rozier: "I thought Garbo said “I vant to be alone—."

Hans Muus: "Re the previous Baker’s Dozen: am I the only one who missed the 'honourable mentions'?"

Mike replies: Oh no, did I forget to add that? I'm sorry. I'll try to do better this time.

Comments

[Jarle Vikshåland]

What are the dimensions - makes a huge difference when trying to understand it - is the kitchen 4 or 7 feet deep. A huge library is quite special - but is it fit for a home cinema and audio room - could be combined.

[jim]

When do submissions close?

[Depends how fast they come in. It gets unwieldy if I get too many, but I need enough. If you know what I mean. But I'll give you plenty of warning. Probably weekend after next, in that general time-frame somewhere. --Mike]

[Chris Kern]

Mike: . . . you have quite a feel for architecture. You should give this Baker's Dozen a go.

How many ya want? As Jimmy Durante (anybody remember him?) used to say, albeit in a somewhat different context, “I got a million of ’em.”

[Bill Tyler]

The Mallory House photo bears close inspection. I love the guy about to hit a croquet ball, and only noticed him after seeing the wickets. The photo is full of stories.

[hil]

I have been reading your work since the 37th Frame and you have now made me look up a word. Elegaic. Beautiful word.

Thanks!