ruby.monkey
Entering
Her are eyes hungry with impatience, why dawdle at the entrance when there is so much to do, and see. Yes there are notices. This is a place where dogs and picnics, two of life’s greatest pleasures, are forbidden, but hurry, there are still puddles we need to churn. The child doesn’t worry about all this “No Dogs, No Right of Way,” palaver. She wants to see the espaliered fruit trees, and the carnivorous plants in the hothouse, so why all this standing around, waiting to enter?
This is a portrait of a child. A child who is inviting us into the grounds of Down House, Charles Darwin’s House. The way we look at the world changed here, but the way she looks at the world changes every minute.
She might learn how Darwin had a big beard and ten children. How he lived in this house for forty years and worked on writing his famous book. In the manuscript there are pages with his writing on one side and his children’s drawings on the other, their pictures of the natural world, of birds, butterflies and flowers, and my personal favourite; a picture of a carrot and aubergine cavalry battle. Alright I’d be surprised if this girl knows about those children’s pictures, but it is something to keep in mind when we think about Darwin. This is a portrait of a child entering a country house where world changing ideas were developed, the aubergine and carrot cavalry is a portrait of a dad who allowed his kids to draw all over his work papers.
Blog photograph copyrighted to the photographer and used with permission by utata.org. All photographs used on utata.org are stored on flickr.com and are obtained via the flickr API. Text is copyrighted to the author, Rachel Irving and is used with permission by utata.org. Please see Show and Share Your Work
