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June 21, 2025

Talbot Spy

Nonpartisan Education-based News for Talbot County Community

Arts Spy Poetry

Spy Poetry: What the Living Do by Marie Howe

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Editor’s Note: Every once in a while, amidst all the distracting minutiae that fill our days, something calls us to stop and pay attention, to take in the sheer immensity and fullness of being alive and for that to be enough. I have always loved this poem, and so, apparently, does Padraig O Tuama, the Irish poet and host of the weekly Poetry Unbound podcast, who has the line “This is what the living do” engraved on his pen. This poem was written to Howe’s brother, John, who died from AIDS-related complications in 1989.

What the Living Do by Marie Howe

Johnny, the kitchen sink has been clogged for days, some utensil probably fell down there.
And the Drano won’t work but smells dangerous, and the crusty dishes have piled up

waiting for the plumber I still haven’t called. This is the everyday we spoke of.
It’s winter again: the sky’s a deep, headstrong blue, and the sunlight pours through

the open living-room windows because the heat’s on too high in here and I can’t turn it off.
For weeks now, driving, or dropping a bag of groceries in the street, the bag breaking,

I’ve been thinking: This is what the living do. And yesterday, hurrying along those
wobbly bricks in the Cambridge sidewalk, spilling my coffee down my wrist and sleeve,

I thought it again, and again later, when buying a hairbrush: This is it.
Parking. Slamming the car door shut in the cold. What you called that yearning.

What you finally gave up. We want the spring to come and the winter to pass. We want
whoever to call or not call, a letter, a kiss—we want more and more and then more of it.

But there are moments, walking, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the window glass,
say, the window of the corner video store, and I’m gripped by a cherishing so deep

for my own blowing hair, chapped face, and unbuttoned coat that I’m speechless:
I am living. I remember you.

Marie Howe was born in 1950 in Rochester, New York. She worked as a newspaper reporter and teacher before receiving her MFA from Columbia University in 1983. Howe is the author of New and Selected Poems (W. W. Norton, 2024), which received the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry this month. She is also author of Magdalene (W. W. Norton, 2017), which was long-listed for the National Book Award; The Kingdom of Ordinary Time (W. W. Norton, 2009), which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; What the Living Do (W. W. Norton, 1998); and The Good Thief (Persea Books, 1988), which was selected by Margaret Atwood for the 1987 National Poetry Series. In 1995, she coedited the anthology In the Company of My Solitude: American Writing from the AIDS Pandemic (Persea, 1995). A former poet laureate of New York State, she is currently a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and poet-in-residence at The Cathedral of St John the Divine. Her poem, “What the Living Do” is excerpted from What the Living Do (Copyright 1998 Marie Howe) and used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., and the author. All rights reserved.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Design with Jenn Martella: Landscaping at The Miracle House

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With guidance from Jan Kirsh, the previously random space was transformed into a picturesque garden nestled beneath towering oak and pine trees, perfectly harmonizing with its surroundings on the Chesapeake Bay.

Since one of my criteria for selection of a House of the Week is Landscape Design, I always look forward to featuring the work of Landscape Designer Jan Kirsh. Several years ago, the historic Miracle House property was a House of the Week, so my focus then was on its architecture and its unique history. The property with a cottage and one room school house was once a ten week summer haven for Baltimore children whose parents had been exposed to  tuberculosis. The Miracle House’s tranquil setting on the Chesapeake Bay and the fresh breezes, swimming in the Bay and nutritious food helped the children build up their resistance to the disease.  The Miracle House is now a private residence with a main cottage and a school house is now a guest house.  

Soon after the Owner acquired the property, he realized that his existing random collection of plantings did not maximize the site’s potential. Four years ago, he retained Jan Kirsh to re-invent the spaces to “turn the garden around, and to make it into a head turning garden.” 

Kirsh began by accenting the majestic Oak and Loblolly pines with three native flowering Viburnum shrubs strategically placed to act as visual anchors in the entry bed. On the day of my visit,  I admired the golden yellow carex (sedge) a grass-like plant, that are evergreen and how they lighten the shady garden. A texturally rich combination of shrubs and ground covers provide seasonal interest, with flowers, glossy leaves and various shades of green foliage. Many shrubs are evergreen so the garden is not dormant throughout the winter.

Majestic pines and oaks provided “good bones” for the stunning redesign.

Seeing the transformation of the entry drive to the property, I remembered its  “before” look. The Owner was quite fortunate to have these extraordinarily  towering Loblolly Pines and Oaks that evoke an almost ‘Cathedral like’ feeling. The dappled shade they and other trees provide were an asset in his vision for the gardens that would have breathtaking views of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Lush plantings along the entry drive blend vibrant textures and colors amid dappled light from the canopy above.

As I slowly drove along the gravel entry drive that is parallel to the front elevation of the house, I admired how one side of the drive faces the grove of pines and the other side facing the house now has a profusion of green plantings with accents of color. Kirsh told me she had slowly walked the pine area and sprayed white paint in a meandering line to show her landscaping crew the demarcation line where the bed of pine needles would meet the grassy area along the gravel drive. 

New plantings of  epimedium (heart shaped ground cover) and shrubs of dwarf nandina, viburnum, and boxwood offer shades of green. The Owner is especially fond of annuals so  Kirsh added the purple sunpatiens in front of the white dwarf abelia (flowering shrubs).

Thoughtful gravel textures and meticulous plant arrangements redefine pathways between the main house and guest house.

At the parking area by the main house, I recognized the deep lavender butterfly bushes next to the golden yellow sedge’s thin strands with the evergreen shrub chamaecyparis obtusa (false cypress) as a sentinel in the background. 

A dynamic blend of butterfly bushes, golden sedge, and evergreens adds depth to the driveway landscape.

After parking my car, I admired how Kirsh’s mix of blue-gray gravel for the driveway and parking area and the 3/8” Delaware gravel walkway areas defines their common edge. The driveway curves to provide parking for the Guest House. In between the houses, more plantings surround the pool area with views of the Bay. Kirsh deftly handled the adjustment and redesign of the parking areas to define +how guests would approach the three entries to the main house and the one entry to the Guest House. 

Soft lamb’s ear and hardy native grass form a striking border along the pathway’s edge

Groups of Lamb’s Ear, Panicum Virgatum (native ‘switch grass’) and the tall Northern Bayberry that is a native, very hardy shrub, form the edge of the 3/8” Delaware gravel walkway.  

Native grasses and delicate blooms guide the transition between driveway and walkway with seamless textures.

At the corner of the blue chip gravel parking area, a single stone paver marks the transition from the parking to 3/8” Delaware gravel walkway to the main house. I admired the textures of the Lamb’s Ear, Hydrangea shrub and Molinia (commonly called muhly grass). In the early fall, this native grass displays a cloud of delicate pink flowers that is a surprising visual treat. 

Layered greenery, tropical accents, and thoughtful composition revive the entry under towering trees.

What was once a somewhat barren area under the majestic oak and loblolly pines near the entrance to the main house is now a vibrant mix of boxwood, sarcoccoca and viburnum shrubs, pots of tropical plants, “elephant ears” with annual torenia and the low epimedium ground cover. Kirsh’s keen eye for texture, shapes and sizes of plant leaves and how the composition rises from the low epimedium to the tall elephant ears comes together beautifully in this tranquil spot.  

Repurposed bluestone pavers and oversized river rocks merge craftsmanship and artistry in the terrace design.

I have long admired Kirsh’s special talent for creating hardscapes. To expand the Owner’s deck onto a terrace that would blend into the front walkway, Kirsh recycled ‘left overs’ from the pool surround, and the masons saw cut the bluestone pavers into strips. Kirsh’s  scale drawing was transferred to the ground and was actually drawn with paint; then Kirsh oversaw the team of masons who installed the work. I loved the textures and colors of the hand selected oversized river rocks and the Owner was quite appreciative of Kirsh’s artistry. 

 

Subtle asymmetry and natural tones define this unique stone path linking the deck to the pool area.

One of Kirsh’s signature paths with random large stone using Mexican beach pebbles as “mortar” connects the deck at the side of the house to the pool.  (This photograph shows the work when it was in progress.)  The grasses to the right are calamagrostis and the grasses to the left are acorus and dark green perennial allium ‘Millenium’ (its splendid small globe shaped flowers are not in bloom yet.)

Bluestone paving and complementary plantings balance bold views of the Chesapeake Bay with rich textures.

Before Kirsh was involved with the landscape design, the Owner had turned his keen eye to the design and construction of the swimming pool and its surround of bluestone paving.  Kirsh designed complementary plantings with sweeps of acorus with patches of ornamental grasses and summer blooming allium that continued the very contemporary tone of the Owner’s vision. 

The pool area highlights how unique this site is. The expanse of the Chesapeake Bay could have been too dominant but here it is a partner. The grand view of the Bay is balanced by color, foliage, hardscape and new planters..  

Wide bluestone terraces connect the pool and dining space, highlighting interplay between structure and color.

The Owner’s design for the bluestone pool surround widens to include a dining area and wraps around the diving board at the waterside edge of the pool. Blocks of color draw your eye from indoor and outdoor entertaining areas, across the expanse of the glistening pool water’s surface to the maturing background hedges. At the edge of bluestone are yellow acorus, allium, calamagrostis (feathered red grass) with the northern bayberry and callicarpa dichotoma (Beauty Berry) at the back corner.

Plumed feather grass contrasts vibrant blooms, creating a harmonious late-season visual near the pool area.

The trio of texture and color of this part of the landscape at the rear corner of the pool area is exquisite when summer turns into fall. Yellow acorus is between the allium ‘Millenium’ with mature seed heads in the fall and the tall, narrow Calamagrostis (feather reed grass) in flower with plumes is the backdrop to this delightful late season composition.

Towering elephant ear hybrids with bold lines accent the sunroom steps leading to the waterfront deck.

I have always loved Elephant’s Ears and these newer hybrids with their yellow “spine” and their giant leaves are set against the rear wall of the main house. Steps from the classic restored sunroom lead down to the Bayside hot tub deck.

Hardy shrubs and pops of annual color frame the expansive lawn, perfect for outdoor activities.

Given the strong cold winter winds over the Bay, Kirsh specified hardy shrubs and trees. She chose evergreen boxwood as accents along the expanse of lawn to the Bay. At the BBQ grille location, Kirsh chose a tree lilac that is another solution to withstand winter’s cold temperatures and winds from the Bay. Spots of annual color add summer interest to the shrub borders. The flashes of color here are annual Lantana, whose delicate flowers belie its being a tough, deer resistant plant that requires minimal care.  I love to play croquet and the wide and deep lawn would be perfect for the game.

Layered shrub borders with gaps for Bay views showcase a thoughtful blend of privacy and visual appeal.

Kirsh specified shrubs including hydrangea paniculata, abelia, weigelia and Osmanthus to both screen the pool equipment shed and to also provide a colorful rotation during the season when the pool is the primary outdoor room. The shrubs form a background for the plantings surrounding the pool, which was Kirsh’s intentional painterly backdrop for the planting. When Kirsh created the  mixed ‘privacy shrub borders’ of paramount importance was her respect of  the views from neighboring properties so that their long views to the broad water of the Bay would remain open. 

 As I strolled past the pool area, I was struck by how Kirsh located the shrubs in offset parallel rows perpendicular to the Bay so one can see the Bay between the rows as you stroll the grounds. When I reluctantly reached my car, I looked back and the diagonal vista of the shrubbery rows seemed to form a continuous  meandering line. I was also impressed how Kirsh creatively re-used existing plants and transplanted them so they could happily thrive in their new locations. She also added kousa dogwoods along the lawn edge where it meets the existing woodland to make a crisp and clean bed line that defines the lawn. 

As I drove away, I contemplated how the grounds were transformed in the years since I last visited this magical spot. The Owner was a true collaborator with Kirsh and he clearly articulated the specific feeling he wanted the grounds to represent. His primary goal was to make the property a space of pure delight for family, friends and visitors with the hope that they celebrated this naturally beautiful setting, enhanced by seasonal gardens, as much as he does. He was fortunate to have had a Landscape Designer as gifted as Kirsh is for his collaborator. She attentively listened when he described his vision, which enabled her to not only meet but also to exceed his goals.  Kirsh appreciated how the Owner’s enthusiasm for the project affected everyone from the contractors to the  installation crew and how he also contributed his labor to artfully placing some of the Mexican beach pebbles in the paths. 

I don’t use these Italian superlatives lightly but bravissimo to the Owner and bravissima to Jan Kirsh for their transformation of this exquisite property! This novice gardener thoroughly enjoyed passing her mini-course on identifying plants by their correct names.

Landscape Designer: Jan Kirsh, Jan Kirsh Studio, www.jankirshstudio.com, 410-745-5252

Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Looking at the Masters: Poppies

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Since ancient times, poppies have been used for a variety of purposes and given a variety of symbolic meanings. Red and white poppies were described in ancient documents. The flowers play a part in many cultures because they grow in both the heat and dryness of deserts and in colder climes. Perhaps the earliest record of poppies was created by the Sumerians (c. 6000-3500 BCE) in Mesopotamia, now Southern Iraq. Their civilization was located along the Silk Road. The use of red poppies for opium spread through the known world. The Egyptians associated opium poppies with Osiris, God of Death, the Underworld, and agriculture. Osiris was killed and then was resurrected. Poppies became symbols of death, regeneration, and eternal life. Ancient Japan and China made similar connections. 

Morpheus, the God of dreams and sleep in Greek myths, was associated with morphine. Nyx was the Goddess of Night, and her twin sons were Hypnos, God of slumber, and Thanatos, God of death. The Roman poet Virgil described in the Aeneid (25 BCE) the death of Euryalus: “His lovely limbs and shoulders/ Poured streams of blood; his neck sank limply down:/ So, cut off by a plow, a purple flower/ Faints away into death; so poppies bend/ Their weary necks when rain weighs down their heads.” 

Opium also was used in witchcraft.  A modern example is in Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900): Dorothy and her companions fell asleep as they ran through the poppy field toward Oz. Beyond opium, morphine, and later heroine, poppy seed oil was used in cooking for its carbohydrates, calcium, and protein. It also is used in some paint, varnish, and cosmetics.

“The Poppy Fields near Argenteuil” (1873)

Monet painted “The Poppy Fields near Argenteuil” (1873) (20”x26’’) when he returned to France after going to London to avoid the Franco-Prussian war. He and his family settled in Argenteuil, a small town seven miles north of Paris. Monet was developing his “plein air” and Impressionist style, and he found much to see and paint in the local landscape. The poppy field provided him the opportunity to use the complementary colors found in sunlight. Set against the green leaves and grass, the red poppies are abundant. They grow approximately three feet tall, and the blooms are often six inches in diameter. The child in the foreground is waist deep in the flowers. Monet suggests the breeze in the poppy field with loose brush strokes rather than precise ones. 

He uses the bright colors of the poppy field to create a diagonal aspect. The other side of the field is painted in horizontal patches of muted tones of yellow and light purple and light blue and orange, pairs of complementary colors. The composition of Madame Monet’s black jacket, hair, and hat bow draw the viewer’s attention to the dark green trees along the horizon and to the second mother and child placed at the hilltop. Madame Monet’s distinctive blue green parasol under the blue sky and scudding white clouds suggests a sunny and slightly breezy day. The painting was included in the first Impressionist Exhibition in1874.

“Poppy Field near Vetheuil” (1879)

“Poppy Field near Vetheuil” (1879) (29’’x36’’) was painted when Monet rented a small house in Lavacourt, across the Seine from Vetheuil. He also had a houseboat, a floating studio, that allowed him to move up and down the Seine and to paint the landscapes as he saw them. He painted 15 scenes of Vetheuil from the balcony of his house. This view of the poppy field most likely was from the boat. His loose brush work and colors in the sky give the overall impression of a coming storm. Monet found seasonal and daily weather conditions interesting to explore in paint. The colors of the red poppies, green landscape, and white buildings of Vetheuil are intense. There is a chill in the air. The Seine at Vetheuil was a busy commercial shipping lane. Monet chose to present the town and the area as the small farming community it was. 

“Vase with Red Poppies” (1886)

Vincent Van Gogh painted seven different paintings of poppies between 1888 and 1890. “Vase with Red Poppies” (1886) (22’’x18’’) is one of Van Gogh’s early paintings, made while he was in Paris. The artist had little money and could not pay for models, so still-life painting was more practical. Red poppies were readily available in the large fields in southern France, and they were among the cheaper flowers. Van Gogh renders the poppies in a more realistic manner than Monet. The viewer cannot count the four to six petals on each flower. The black centers formed by stamen in a whorl are depicted, and the number of unopened buds show the large number of poppies that were available. This early Van Gogh piece does not yet contain the exuberant brush work familiar to viewers, except in the swirling blue background. 

Van Gogh was after the brilliance of color, and he achieved it. In a letter to fellow artist Horace Livens, he wrote, “And now for what regards what I myself have been doing, I have lacked money for paying models else I had entirely given myself to figure painting. But I have made a series of colour studies in painting, simply flowers, red poppies, blue cornflowers, and myositis, white and rose roses, yellow chrysanthemums-seeking oppositions of blue with orange, red and green, yellow, and violet…Trying to render intense colour and not a grey harmony…So as we said at the time: in colour seeking life the true drawing is modelling with colour.”

“Field with Poppies” (1889)

Van Gogh painted “Field with Poppies” (1889) (23”x36’’) in June, one month after he voluntarily signed himself into the St Paul Asylum in St Remy, France.  The Asylum was a former monastery, and it was surrounded by gardens, olive groves, cyprus trees, and poppies. With his brother Theo’s help, he was assigned two adjoining rooms on the first floor, one room to serve as his bedroom and the other his studio. Van Gogh was not allowed outside the asylum grounds during the early months of his confinement, and the windows were barred. His mental and physical health were unpredictable. When he felt better, his paintings were rich with vibrant colors. His brush work varied from spiral as in the foreground to the more controlled vertical and horizontal strokes as can be seen in the background. 

Letters to family and friends were sometimes positive and sometimes negative, as unpredictable as his health. At one point he wrote, “I feel happier here with my work than I could be outside. By staying here a good long time, I shall have learned regular habits and in the long run the result will be more order in my life.”[ Van Gogh’s numerous paintings included “Starry Night” (1889) and his Iris paintings. Theo reported that Vincent’s work was becoming more appreciated.

“Flanders Field” (1921)

 

The illustrated manuscript “Flanders Field” (1921) (22”x30’’) was inspired by the famous poem by John McCrae for a limited edition of his poems In Flanders Field and Other Poems, published in 1921. McCrea was a Montreal surgeon and a poet. He served as an officer and a surgeon in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I. His first battle was the Second Battle of Ypres, Belgium, where his friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer was killed. Since the chaplain was unavailable, McCrea led the burial ceremony on May 3, 1915. He noticed how red poppies grew quickly in the soil that was heavy with lime as a result of the bombing. Few other plants could grow in that soil. At the grave the day after the funeral, McCrae wrote down a few lines that would become the beginning of the poem. Sitting in the back of an ambulance the following day, he finished the poem. Legend states that he threw the poem away because he was not satisfied with it, but his fellow soldiers rescued it. McCrae’s poem was published anonymously by the London magazine Punch on December 8, 1915.

In Flanders Field (1921) was illuminated by Ernest Clegg (1876-1954). A trained artist from Birmingham, England, he worked for Tiffany and Co. in New York City as a heraldry designer and illustrator.  When WWI broke out, he returned to England and became a Captain in the Seventh Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. He served as a commander on the Western Front. His illustration depicts the first verse of McCrea’s poem. 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.


We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.


Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

 

Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years. Since retiring to Chestertown with her husband Kurt in 2014, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL and the Institute of Adult Learning, Centreville. An artist, she sometimes exhibits work at River Arts. She also paints sets for the Garfield Theater in Chestertown.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Spy Poetry: The Internet of Things by Erin Murphy

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Editor’s Note: Countless elements go into the making of a riverbed—water salinity level and velocity; the interaction of plants, animals, and micro-organisms; the amount of sunlight; what the earth is made of. The same congruence of infinitessimal events and conditions is at play in our own lives, determining with whom we fall in love, what health issues befall us, and when we take our final breath. We like to think we are self-determining creatures but meanwhile, the great “web of circumstances” is working behind the scenes.  I love how the poet slips from nature to our own human experiences of love and grief, and how the ending encompasses all of it. 

The Internet of Things 
(n.): the networking capability that allows information to be sent and received by objects and devices

The low tide riverbed silt
of things. The cloud-swept

distant hill of things.
The open bedroom window

in spring of things.
The moonlit cricket

symphony of things.
The pitter-patter

tin roof rain of things.
The fifty-year marriage

loose skin of things.
The clipped winter light

of things. The stippled lymph
node of things. The grief.

Oh—the grief. The brief
ecstatic flight of things.

Erin Murphy is an American poet who is credited with inventing the demi-sonnet. She received her B.A. in English and philosophy from Washington College and an MFA in poetry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst’s MFA Program for Poets & Writers. Murphy is a professor of English and a member of the creative writing faculty at The Pennsylvania State University, Altoona College. Her poem, “The Internet of Things,” appeared in her recent book, Fluent in Blue (Grayson Books, 2024). It originally appeared in Rattle magazine and received the Rattle Poetry Prize Readers’ Choice Award. The poem is posted here with permission of the author.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Design with Jenn Martella: The William Smith House, c. 1794

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Design with Jenn Martella:” The William Smith House, c. 1794”

Stately brick façade showcases 18th-century craftsmanship in this historic grain merchant’s home.

On one of my recent Sunday drives, I discovered the quaint town of Hillsboro, just over the Talbot County line.  I learned it is the oldest town in Caroline County and it was named for Lord Hillsboro of Maryland’s Calvert family. Earlier this month, I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw many paintings by Charles Wilson Peale, who briefly resided in Hillsboro. He was  a leading portraitist of the American Revolution, particularly for his depictions of George Washington. 

After crossing the Tuckahoe River, I drove up Main Street for my visit to the William Smith House. This distinguished brick dwelling stands out in its surroundings streetscape of  frame dwellings. The brick was befitting for the residence of a successful grain merchant who lived in an important hub for grain and tobacco.  As I walked up one of the two sets of steps that led the wide stoop, I noticed the white areas of the red brick.  I wondered if the house had once been painted and later during my tour,  I saw an earlier picture of the house with white facades. 

Classic architecture meets nature with expansive windows and towering dogwoods.

The house is set close to the Town sidewalk so the majority of the deep 0.66 acre corner lot is devoted to its mature landscaping with a parking area off the side street. Passing the side yard, I admired the dogwood as tall as the second floor and one of the largest oak hydrangeas I have ever seen. The house’s exterior color palette of red brick, dark shutters and  white trim is classic and I especially admired the 4/4 wide and tall windows

Thoughtful additions harmonize with the original 1794 design, creating a timeless silhouette.

The house has been altered slightly through many decades, but the character of the original building dominates the architecture and retains the feeling of its 1794 era. Later additions included a brick addition and two frame additions that telescope down from the two-story portion of the house. The story and a half addition contains the kitchen, a side entrance past the laundry area and a full bath. Above is the primary suite’s bathroom and walk-in closet. The one-story addition is a family room surrounded by the lawn and gardens .

Vibrant roses bask in filtered sunlight beside the carefully fenced garden retreat.

The side yard adjacent to the neighbor’s property is fully fenced and I later saw a large formerly feral cat whom the Owner has patiently coaxed him to call her garden home. The crape myrtle will bloom midsummer but now the red roses are preening in the filtered sunlight.  

Majestic trees provide shade for blooming hellebores and a hospitable birdbath centerpiece

In the open landscape, giant trees are grouped together and at the ground the cluster of hellebores are beginning to bloom. The pineapple, symbol of hospitality, in the middle of the bird bath stands ready to welcome all avian friends. 

Versatile outbuildings combine utility with charming period details.

Near the rear of the property, there are two outbuildings, one for lawn and garden maintenance and another for myriad uses-studio, playhouse, etc. 

Historic staircase design accentuated by intricate molding and indirect natural light.

After my stroll around the house and garden, I was eager to explore the house. The listing agent met me at the wide front door that opened into the foyer of the center hall floor plan.  I admired detailing of the original stairs to the second floor with the dark newel post and cap rail, light colored pickets, stained treads and painted risers and the decorative molding below the edge of the treads.  Opposite the front door is another exterior door that leads to a short flight of steps to the lawn and garden. The stairs have indirect daylight from the window in the hall above.

One could add a glass storm door to the garden door to bring both light into the foyer and also to create a long vista of the garden from the front door. I loved the choice of one of my fave historic colors for the doors and trim. The long Oriental rug adds color and the period pendant light fixture’s glass shape floats serenely in the space. 

Original millwork and large windows frame the sunlit living space with timeless elegance.

 Next to the stairs is the charming living room with a fireplace and original mantel between bespoke millwork. I did not need to turn on a light since there was ample sunlight from the wide and tall windows at the front and rear of the room. The upholstery of the seating around the coffee table pick up the colors in the Oriental rug and I especially admired the upholstered antique settee. Placing the curtain rods for the window treatments very close to the high ceiling accentuates the room’ high ceiling.

Flooded with natural light, ample storage, refinished mantle, and a Georgian chandelier define this dining space.

On the other side of the foyer is my fave room, the elegant dining room. Sunlight streams into the room through the front and side windows that offer views of the side garden. On top of the refinished mantel is a collection of Native American ceramics and I was delighted to see several pieces from the Acoma Pueblo that are very similar to ones I own. The large Oriental rug anchors the antique wood table and Chippendale chairs and the bespoke millwork at the side of the fireplace with closed cabinets above and glass fronted doors above for display provide ample storage. The Georgian chandelier is the perfect finishing touch.

Rare antique corner cupboard adds a striking focal point to this elegant room.

The focal point of the dining room is a stunning Maryland Eastern Shore “ cross raised panel tombstone arch raised panel barrel back” corner pine cupboard with iron hinges in a deep cranberry color. The listing agent confirmed the Owner once had an antique store in St. Michaels. Small world-I then realized I had bought an iron bed for my guest room from her several years ago!

Exposed beams and brick elements connect modern convenience with rich historic character.

From the dining room, I stepped down to the open plan kitchen-gathering room. I appreciated how this kitchen combined old and new elements. Combined with the exposed stained beams and the brick wall of the stairs to the attic, this kitchen has so much character. The light colored cabinets’ design have low “feet” instead of a full knee kick. The large island cabinetry with a butcher block top is perfect for baking. At the side of kitchen is a short hall past the laundry area and a full bath to an exterior door leading to a deck that offers a secluded retreat in the fenced garden.

Vaulted ceilings and oversized windows invite nature into this cozy off-kitchen retreat.

The kitchen overlooks the gathering room with its pitched ceiling and stained collar beams in homage to the kitchen’s older exposed beams. The wide picture window and side window provide panoramic  views of the fenced garden. The half glass/half paneled exterior door is another window overlooking the landscape and leads to a stoop and a paver path to the parking area. The mix of antiques and other furnishings create a charming space for end of workday relaxation. 

Uniquely curved moldings around the stair landing enhance architectural fluidity.

There are so many charming details in this house but my fave one is how the steps end at a landing with risers on either side up to the second floor. The graceful curvature of the baseboard and molding flows seamlessly onto each side of the landing and the stair’s cap railing echoes the curvature to the railing above overlooking the foyer.

Bright, airy hallway offers antique accents and views of the lush garden below.

The width of the hall allows space for a corner mini-office with an antique writing desk and chair for checking emails with daylight from the hall window overlooking the garden. The bookcase holds memories of loved ones to keep one company. Beyond the doorway is the primary bedroom at the corner of the house.

A serene corner of the primary bedroom, complete with an inviting fireplace.

The antique corner cabinet, wood trunk, Oriental rug and wood chair and footstool create a cozy corner for relaxing and the fireplace’s trio of iron candlesticks and waterfowl are charming accents.

Sunlight and views of the historic streetscape in the Primary bedroom frame elegant open canopy bed

I can’t resist canopy beds and this one with its gentle curved open frame is beautiful as it is, but one could easily add a lace canopy.  The front windows provide plenty of sunlight and views of the neighborhood.

Period details like beadboard wainscot and a clawfoot tub define this timeless second-floor bathroom.

The second floor’s bathroom has a claw foot tub outfitted with a shower head. The beadboard wainscot, chair rail, wood floor, rug and both the arched top plantation shutter and window treatments create a charming bath that evokes the house’s period.

Charming period pieces and a sunny window create a welcoming guest retreat.

I would be a contented guest in this charming bedroom with the bowfront antique chest of drawers, fireplace, Oriental rugs wood pencil post bedframe, duvet and the chair by the window.

Brightly lit stairwell showcases exposed brick and artistic accents in a seamless transition space.

The story and a half addition to the house is reached by stairs from both the kitchen and from the primary bedroom if an ensuite is desired. This space is more than mere circulation with its bright yellow walls, the exposed brick of the original part of the house and the beautiful wood floors.  Accents of  the boat sculpture in the window and the large artwork on the brick wall give this space a unique personality.  Windows at each side wall of the stairs keeps the space sunny and bright.

Eclectic touches like a pie safe and vintage fixtures give this bathroom a unique visual appeal.

The addition contains a large bathroom and walk-in closet. The antique pie safe is a much more charming storage closet than door to a linen closet.  Along with the pie safe, the wood antique storage unit between the two porcelain vintage pedestal lavatories, wood floors accented with small Oriental rugs and artwork all create a charming eclectic look.  

Desirable deep corner lot with mature landscaping in a small historic town very close to Easton’s shopping, arts and cultural events. Highway 404 is also close by for quick access to the beaches and DC. The Hillsboro Public Landing on the Tuckahoe is only a block from the   property. The house’s appealing architectural style, and the interior’s high ceilings, wide and tall windows, multiple fireplaces, built-in millwork and beautiful original wood floors are combined with modern conveniences for today’s lifestyle.  Brava to the Owner’s interior design and her collection of antiques that give this house its individual personality. If you are seeking a historic property, this gem is one not be missed, at a very competitive price compared to  a restored house in another Eastern Shore Historic District.  

For more information about this property, contact Broker Nancy McDonald McGuire at Maryland Heritage Properties , 410-778-9319 (o) ,443-480-7342 (c), or [email protected]. For more photographs and pricing, visit www.marylandheritageproperties.com/home , “Equal Housing Opportunity.” For decades, Nancy McDonald McGuire has specialized in representing historic buildings in Maryland in general and the Eastern Shore in particular. 

Photography by Jennifer Martella

Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Looking at the Masters: Imogene Cunningham

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Imogene Cunningham (1883-1976) was the fifth of ten children born to Isaac Burns and Susan Elizabeth Cunningham. Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Seattle, Washington, she was inquisitive and interested in everything. She graduated with honors in 1907 from the University of Washington, having majored in chemistry. She was elected to membership in the Alpha Chapter of Pi Beta Phi. 

In 1901, Cunningham purchased for $15 a 4”x5” view camera, and she enrolled in the correspondence course to learn how to take pictures. She earned some of her college tuition by photographing plants for the botany department. With the help of her chemistry professor, she learned about photographic processes. Her graduation thesis was titled “Modern Processes of Photography.” After graduation, Cunningham worked for Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952), one of America’s premier photographers of the American West. She learned platinum printing and assisted in the production of his book The North American Indian. 

 

“Wood Beyond the World I” (1910)

Cunningham was awarded in 1909 a Pi Beta Phi Graduate Fellowship to study photographic chemistry at the Technical University in Dresden, Germany. Her aim was to discover a printing solution that was less expensive than platinum, then in use. Her final paper was “About the direct development of platinum paper for brown tones.” Her process increased printing speed and the clarity of highlights, and produced sepia tones. On her return home, she met noted American photographers Alvin Langdon Colburn (1882-1966) in London and Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) and Gertrude Kasebier (1842-1934) in New York. Cunningham opened her photographic studio in Seattle in 1910, and she quickly became successful.

“Wood Beyond the World I” (1910) (13.5’’x9’’) (gelatine silver print) likely was influenced by Kasebier’s hazy photographic images of imaginary worlds described in the legend of King Arthur. The Wood Beyond the World (1894) was a fantasy novel written by William Morris (1834-1896), the English Pre-Raphaelite artist, who established the William Morris Company that produced fabric and wallpaper prints still popular today. Cunningham’s photograph is a depiction of the enchanted wood where an unhappy husband encounters a mysterious maiden. Achieving the soft focus with just the right amount of contrast between dark and light is complicated. The photograph presents the viewer with a dreamworld.

 

“Two Callas (1925)

Cunningham was the first woman photographer to have an exhibition (1913) at the Brooklyn Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her portraits were included at An International Exhibition of Pictorial Photography in New York in 1914. Wilson’s Photographic Magazine published a portfolio of her work.  She married Roi George Patridge in 1915, and they had three sons. They moved to San Francisco in 1917. Patridge began to teach art at Mills College in Oakland, California, in 1920.

While raising the children, Cunningham began her close-up botanical photographic series. She planted a garden in order to study various plants. “Two Callas” (1925) (20’’x16’’) (gelatin silver print) represents her transition to sharp-focused prints. She said, “The reason during the twenties that I photographed plants was that I had three children under the age of four to take care of, so I was cooped up. I had a garden available and I photographed them indoors. Later when I was free, I did other things.” At this same time, Georgia O’Keeffe was painting her large-scale, close-up flower details. Since both artists were in the Stieglitz studio, there was much speculation about the connection of their work.  Although they knew each other and each other’s work, neither artist was influenced by the other. “Two Callas” has become an iconographic Cunningham image. The negative had been lost for many years until she found it in 1973. She made several more prints before her death.

 

“Magnolia Blossom” (1925)

“Magnolia Blossom” (1925) (11’’x14’’) (gelatin silver print) is one of several studies of magnolia plants. The detail of the stamen and pistil is precise, and the more delicate curves of the petals provide a marvelous contrast.  

Cunningham co-founded Group f/64 with Ansel Adams and Edward Weston on November 15, 1932.  f/64 is the smallest focal aperture on a camera. Rather than moving in an abstract direction, like the New York photographers, f/64 wanted precision “pure and straight.” According to Cunningham, “f/64 is not only American, it is Western American. It isn’t even American. It’s western…This does not mean that we all used the small aperture, but we were for reality. That was what we talked about too. Not being phony, you know.” The group of eleven photographers held their first exhibition in 1932 at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. 

Cunningham founded the California Horticultural Society in 1933. Her photographs of plants were so detailed that they often were used by horticulturalists and other scientists in their work. 

 

“Alfred Stieglitz at An American Place” (1934)

Cunningham’s photographs during the 1930’s and until the 1960’s were mostly portraits. “Alfred Stieglitz at An American Place” (1934) was commissioned by Stieglitz (1864-1946). He established Gallery 291 in New York City, and it was the place to be if you were a modern American painter or photographer. Cunnigham and Stieglitz met in 1910. He supported her work, collaborated with her on projects, and the two formed a close working relationship. Stieglitz operated his New York City gallery, An American Place, from 1929 until his death in 1946. Stieglitz chose to stand in front of a painting by his wife, Georgia O’Keeffe.

Among the American modernist painters Stieglitz promoted were Arthur Dove, John Marin, Marsden Hartley, Charles Demuth, Paul Stand, and O’Keeffe. He also introduced Americans to the work of some European modernists such as Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Matisse. 

 

“Martha Graham” (1935)

Her success in portrait photography resulted in an invitation to Hollywood in 1930 and in 1932 to do portraits for Vanity Fair, Sunset, and other magazines. Cunningham tried out color photography for some of the Sunset pictures. Some examples of Cunningham’s portraits are those of Frida Kahlo, Gertude Stein, Cary Grant, and Spencer Tracy.  Cunningham enjoyed capturing the motion of the human body, “Martha Graham” (1935) is one of many portraits she made of Graham.  She works here with a double negative, one a facial portrait and the other a simple dance move. The sharpness in the face is contrasted with the soft focus of the dance pose, allowing two aspects of Graham’s personality to be shown. Cunningham explained, “One must be able to gain an understanding at short notice and close range, of the beauties of character, intellect, and spirit so as to be able to draw out [their] best qualities…”

 

“Where Children Play” (1955)

Cunningham and her husband were divorced in 1934, and the burden of supporting herself and her three sons caused her to diversify subjects in her work. She began taking pictures of industrial sites, and she took up street photography and documentary work. “Where Children Play” (1955) (8.7”x7.1”) revealed the love of her children and her social consciousness. As always, the photograph sends a clear message. The young boy stands alone in the doorway of a shack. A ragged awning hangs from the top of the door. Trash lies on the ground. Cunningham’s ability to spot a moment in time that depicts a message was always with her. She called these street pictures her “stolen pictures” She tried to hide herself so the subject was unaware of her presence. She still was using the same small 4”x5” view camera.

Cunningham was invited by Ansel Adams to take a faculty position in the photography department at the California School of Fine Arts.  Dorothea Lange and Minor White, both photographers for President Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Project Administration, also were on the faculty. Her own work and her teaching position allowed Cunningham to travel to Paris and Europe in the1960s. The Paris “stolen pictures” were taken with her Rolleiflex.

 

“Self Portrait on Geary Street” (1958)

Cunningham photographed a wide variety of subjects, including herself. Her first self-portrait in 1906, when she was in college, was nude.  “Self Portrait on Geary Street” (San Francisco) (1958) (gelatine silver print) (8”x7”) captures two sides of her work. Through a glass storefront window, an assortment of objects can be seen: a curtain rod, a white glass lamp globe, and a broken chandelier. The diagonals created by the large window pane, the objects on the floor, and the sunlight through the window lead the viewer’s eye directly to Cunningham, standing behind the glass. The storefront is in sharp focus.

Cunningham stands in the doorway area of the shop, behind the glass window, placing her in softer focus. She wears a dark cloak and carries her small camera. Behind her is the other shop window that also contains an assortment of objects, including plates and a knick-knack shelf.  That side of the shop window is soft-focused. The circular shapes of objects and Cunningham are in contrast to the straight edges of the windows and doors. This found subject, as was always the case with Cunningham, contains numerous elements to ponder. 

Cunningham constantly struggled with her reputation because she was a woman, and women were considered by many not to be as good as men. She joined San Francisco Women Artists, organized to support, promote, and increase women’s role in the arts. She was a resource for women artists, offering advice and connections in the art and business worlds.

She applied for a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964 when she was 81 years old, but she was turned down.  She was awarded the Fellowship in 1970 when she was 87. The $5000 award allowed her to make new prints from her old negatives. During these years she was awarded several honorary doctoral degrees and was given important solo exhibitions. “Imogene Cunninham Day” was proclaimed by San Francisco mayor Joseph Alioto on November 12, 1970. In 1973 the San Francisco Art Commission declared her Artist of the Year.

 

After Ninety (1977)

Cunninham never stopped finding new subjects to photograph. In 1975 she started what she thought would be a two-year project to publish her photographs in a book. She was getting older, but she was determined to move forward. She began seeking out older people and visited them in their homes, in hospitals, and convents. She talked with them, got to know them, and took their pictures. She completed her task. After Ninety (1977) was published the year after she died.

Imogene Cummingham was internationally celebrated. Her appearance on Johnny Carson in 1976 brought even more fame, more exhibitions, and more awards. She was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame in 2004.

When asked so often which of her photographs was her favorite, she replied, “The one I’m going to take tomorrow.”

 

Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years. Since retiring to Chestertown with her husband Kurt in 2014, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL and the Institute of Adult Learning, Centreville. An artist, she sometimes exhibits work at River Arts. She also paints sets for the Garfield Theater in Chestertown.

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Spy Poetry: Tester by Edgar Kunz

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Editor’s Note: This is the poem that happens when you’re a poor young writer subsisting paycheck to paycheck and someone gives you an outlet for your creativity. What poem would have arisen, I wonder, if he had worked at a waffle iron manufacturer? DL

Tester by Edgar Kunz

I catch a bus out to the county
and check in at a beige terminal

and they ask me about the smells
and textures of various dips

and I click appealing
or not appealing, then elaborate

in the text box below. Artichoke
and French Onion. Spicy Three

Bean Queso. I got in
on referral. I live with seven

other people. I measure rent
in how many sessions I have to do

with the dips. I start testing
what I can get away with: notes

of bright espresso, mouthfeel
of a sun-ripe plum.

I write longer and longer.
I don’t think they read a word.

It’s weeks before you’re entered
into the system, more weeks

to get your tiny check. Aline says
If you think it’s a scam

why do you keep saying yes?
In the fluorescent room I receive

one dip after another from blue
gloved hands, always the same

plain tortilla chips to dip with,
the same hands clearing away

the tiny plastic cups. I tinker
with my descriptions. If I need

water, they bring me water
in slightly larger cups.

Edgar Kunz has been an NEA Fellow, a MacDowell Fellow, and a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford. His poems have appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Poetry, the American Poetry Review and the Oxford American. He lives in Baltimore and teaches at Goucher College. His poem “Tester” is included in his second book, Fixer (Copyright© 2023 by Edgar Kunz). Posted here with author’s permission and courtesy of Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.