LINCOLN, EDWIN HALE (1828-1938) Suite of 20 photographs from "Wildflowers of New England." Platinum prints, 9 1/4x7 1/4 inches (23.5x18.4 cm.), each with a printed number and caption, in English and in Latin, on recto; each print is beautifully framed. 1910-1914
Edwin Hale Lincoln moved to the Berkshire area in 1893, less than 10 years after taking up photography. He had previously been a drummer boy during the Civil War and a page in the Massachuetts House of Representatives. He largely made his living photographing large yachts and estates.
Lincoln's move coincided with the growth of Berkshire's "summer cottages," which he also photographed. Lincoln's spare aesthetic contrasts with the Photo-Seccessionist's concurrent embrace of Pictorialism, and in fact, his crisp, clean images instead found an affinity with the American Arts & Crafts movement. Lincoln's work was published in Gustav Stickley's The Craftsman, where they received warm praise. These images can also be seen as a precursor to later, "straight" landscape photography prominent on the West Coast. Both boldly modern and a clear product of New England sensibilities, Lincoln's images are an important botanical record and breathtaking magnum opus. Lincoln began working on this series in the early 1890s and finished it in 1914. He printed the photographs and produced sets for subscribers.
