In Philadelphia, we have this annual tradition called the Mummer’s Parade.  Every New Years Day, brigades from all over the city dress in garish costumes and march down Broad Street.  Some play in string bands (saxophones, guitars and banjos, mostly).  Some have intricate performances.  Some just dress up and act dumb.  But they’re all called Mummers.  The Peacock is probably the inspiration for many of the city’s celebrated Mummers.  This particular peacock calls one of the country’s oldest zoos, the Philadelphia Zoo, home.

Thanks to a recent post on Jim M. Goldstein’s Blog, I think I have discovered a new artist to admire - or rather an older artist that I should have discovered a long time ago. Eliot Porter is most known for his nature photography as he was one of the photographers that helped to introduce color film to the world of nature photography from the 1940’s through the 1970s. Apparently, he became widely known in the science world as his photographs were widely recognized in the conservation movement. I’ll be honest, I have only barely scratched the surface of his life and his works, and I don’t know much about him yet. But I have to thank Mr. Goldstein for introducing me to Porter’s work. As I honestly feel that there’s a lot to be learned from past photographic works, this is one artist that I shouldn’t have overlooked in my initial photographic education.

If you are interested in reading more, Jim Goldstein wrote an interesting article, titled “The Subtlety of Greatness and Today’s Loss of Appreciation“.  His article deals mostly in how people so easily overlook the skill of the classic artists, such as Porter, who really pushed the envelope of technology at the time.   His article is definitely worth a read.  There is also a short biography over at the Getty Center’s web site.  and of course, we can’t forget Porter’s Wikipedia Entry.