“Home is the Starting Place”

I was reminded of this photograph after seeing that St. Patrick’s Day is coming up on March 17. It’s an image that is published on page 30 of my book Weir Farm National Historic Site (Arcadia Publishing).

My book tells the story of Julian Alden Weir (1852-1919), who is one of the founders of American Impressionist painting. It also explains that this photograph is a close-up of an inscription appearing over the front door of his house that reads: “Here shall we rest and call content our home.”

What my book does not explain – due to space constraints – is that the quote is from a letter Weir received from his brother John. It was hand-painted over the door by Weir’s friend Stanford White.

White was a member of the famed architectural firm McKim, Mead and White. The Washington Square arch in Greenwich Village, New York City, and the second Madison Square Garden were among the many well-known structures that he designed. As a friend of Weir’s, he also designed the 1911 additions to the artist’s house.

As Weir’s grandson noted in my book, his grandfather evoked “a gentler, quieter age in which family, friends and colleagues were the core of life….” Indeed, this observation was well summed up by Weir in a letter he wrote to his godson: “Home is the starting place.”

This photograph has never been exhibited or printed. It was created as part of a commission to artistically document the restoration of Weir’s house and other historical buildings on the property. For more information, take a look at this clip from News 12:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhJGkxOTjhg]

Click here to get a signed print of this and other photographs.

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