Framed Photograph of a Blue Ash Tree

Framed Photograph of a Blue Ash Tree

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Description
This photograph of a blue ash tree is one of forty-nine framed black and white photographic prints bequeathed to the Smithsonian by William F. Bucher of Washington, D.C. The collection represents a labor of love for Bucher, a cabinetmaker, who framed each photograph in wood of the same species as the tree depicted in the print. Bucher explained the philosophy behind his collection in a 1931 letter to the Museum: "'Old World' trees have gathered about them so much folklore and poetry, I thought it would be interesting to show by pictures and wood, that many of our American trees have attained by their own merits, an equal right to a place in the 'hall of fame.'"
The tree depicted in this photograph was located in Kentucky and the image was made by the United States Forest Service. The frame is solid ash. It was displayed with Bucher's other framed photographs of living trees in a special exhibition, Our Trees and their Woods at the United States National Museum in 1931. The collection stands as a romantic reminder of America's diverse forestry resources and landscapes in the early years of the 20th century.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
photograph & frame
Date made
1929
frame maker
Bucher, William F.
photographer
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service
Place Made
United States: Kentucky
Physical Description
wood (frame material)
glass (frame material)
Measurements
overall: 39 cm x 34 cm; 15 3/8 in x 13 3/8 in
ID Number
AG.115767.22
catalog number
AG*115767.22
accession number
115767
maker number
25
Credit Line
William F. Bucher
subject
frames
Trees
See more items in
Work and Industry: Forestry
Natural Resources
Photography
Art
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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