George & Martha Washington 1874

This is John P. Soule's stereograph "George & Martha Washington," a ghostly double image mounted on card. Soule made this image during a period of intense national reflection after the Civil War, when photography was used to both document and idealize American history. Notice how Soule crafts this image with skeletonized leaves to frame the iconic figures of George and Martha Washington. The delicate, almost translucent, leaves create a spectral, ethereal quality. How might the use of decaying foliage reflect the nation’s attempt to reconcile with its fractured past, particularly its legacy of slavery? Soule's choice of medium underscores the ephemeral nature of memory and the way national heroes are often enshrined in idealized forms. It prompts us to consider the narratives we construct around historical figures and the complex layers of history that shape our understanding of identity. How do these images speak to our own emotional engagement with history and memory?