In December 2015, I did some fairly extensive, intensive work with the photographs of Sylvia Plath and Gordon Lameyer from their time together as a couple and as friends. Lameyer took a series of full color images of Plath from circa spring 1953 to April 1956 which are now on slides and printed photographs held by the Lilly. Plath is depicted from Northampton to Ipswich, atop Mount Monadnock to the beaches at Cape Cod, from Newport, Rhode Island to Paris and Venice and Rome. And more. This work included studying the photographs carefully and establishing the date on which they were taken using a variety of sources to support the conclusions I was reaching and include her journals, letters, calendars, and more.
Plath and Lameyer traveled from Paris, France to Munich, Germany on Friday 6 April 1956. Then from Munich, Germany, to Venice, Italy on Saturday 7 April 1956. They had just the one full day, Sunday, 8 April 1956, in the enchantingly aquatic city and it seems they made the most of it. They had to, for on Monday 9 April 1956 they traveled to Rome where they largely went their separate ways. Plath flew from Lameyer and Rome to London and Ted Hughes on the famous Friday, 13 April 1956.
Enamored with the Italian slides, I wanted to try to photo match the images of Plath and Lameyer to see if I could identify the exact location on one of the 177 canals where the photographs were taken. I turned to Google and was pleased and amazed to use "Street View" on the Grand Canal and other canals of Venice. (Really, for Venice, it should be "Canal View".) Which should not have been that surprising considering the waterways are the primary "streets" of this wonderful city. So, I started with the Grand Canal, grandly hoping it would be that easy. It was! I lucked out and only had to search the Grand Canal: one and done.
The first image, below, shows Plath alone in the gondola on the Grand Canal traveling from the direction of the Ponte di Rialto towards the Piazza San Marco. The location is near the Calle del Traghetto Vecchio. Beneath that image is a Google Canal View of the section of Venice in the background. The angle requires some consideration.
The second image, below, shows Plath and Lameyer on a gondola a little further up (or down?) the Grand Canal. The distance is roughly 150 to 200 meters. They are at, approximately, the S Angelo stop for the Hotel Palazzo Sant'Angelo. Beneath that image is a Google Canal View of the section of Venice in the background. The angle requires some consideration.
The third photograph of Plath in Venice, not included here but available at the Lilly Library, is from atop the beautiful Torre dell'Orologio in Piazza San Marco. Plath stands between the bell and a bell ringer. The distinctive brick orange column and white loggia of the Campanile di San Marco looms in the background. Also visible is one of the three tall bronze standards. Here are two photographs of the Torre dell'Orologio my wife took on our honeymoon.
Images from Lameyer mss, Courtesy Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. My deepest thanks to Cherry, Zach, Jody, and Sarah for their help.
Images of the Torre dell'Orologio, Venice, Courtesy of my wife, whom I thank for marrying me!
All links accessed 5 December 2015 and 27 March 2016.
Plath and Lameyer traveled from Paris, France to Munich, Germany on Friday 6 April 1956. Then from Munich, Germany, to Venice, Italy on Saturday 7 April 1956. They had just the one full day, Sunday, 8 April 1956, in the enchantingly aquatic city and it seems they made the most of it. They had to, for on Monday 9 April 1956 they traveled to Rome where they largely went their separate ways. Plath flew from Lameyer and Rome to London and Ted Hughes on the famous Friday, 13 April 1956.
Enamored with the Italian slides, I wanted to try to photo match the images of Plath and Lameyer to see if I could identify the exact location on one of the 177 canals where the photographs were taken. I turned to Google and was pleased and amazed to use "Street View" on the Grand Canal and other canals of Venice. (Really, for Venice, it should be "Canal View".) Which should not have been that surprising considering the waterways are the primary "streets" of this wonderful city. So, I started with the Grand Canal, grandly hoping it would be that easy. It was! I lucked out and only had to search the Grand Canal: one and done.
The first image, below, shows Plath alone in the gondola on the Grand Canal traveling from the direction of the Ponte di Rialto towards the Piazza San Marco. The location is near the Calle del Traghetto Vecchio. Beneath that image is a Google Canal View of the section of Venice in the background. The angle requires some consideration.
The second image, below, shows Plath and Lameyer on a gondola a little further up (or down?) the Grand Canal. The distance is roughly 150 to 200 meters. They are at, approximately, the S Angelo stop for the Hotel Palazzo Sant'Angelo. Beneath that image is a Google Canal View of the section of Venice in the background. The angle requires some consideration.
The third photograph of Plath in Venice, not included here but available at the Lilly Library, is from atop the beautiful Torre dell'Orologio in Piazza San Marco. Plath stands between the bell and a bell ringer. The distinctive brick orange column and white loggia of the Campanile di San Marco looms in the background. Also visible is one of the three tall bronze standards. Here are two photographs of the Torre dell'Orologio my wife took on our honeymoon.
Images from Lameyer mss, Courtesy Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. My deepest thanks to Cherry, Zach, Jody, and Sarah for their help.
Images of the Torre dell'Orologio, Venice, Courtesy of my wife, whom I thank for marrying me!
All links accessed 5 December 2015 and 27 March 2016.
What fun! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see some new pictures. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIt's so amazing to see these photos of SP. Thank you very much, Peter!
ReplyDeleteDear Julia, rdalpay & J&C,
ReplyDeleteHi there. You're most welcome, all. Thank you all for commenting.
~pks