Corallorrhiza odontorhiza- Small-flowered Coral Root 1931

Edwin Hale Lincoln made this photographic print of a Small-flowered Coral Root, using platinum. Look at how the image has emerged as a series of grey tones, from a slightly darker grey, to a near white. I can imagine Lincoln carefully preparing his chemicals, mixing them just so, and then placing this delicate plant onto the photographic paper. I sympathize with him, as it must have been a patient act, trying to capture this plant at its best, at its most representative. Look at the almost spindly stalks, thin lines rising upwards. They reach up optimistically, like a child’s drawing of a plant. Then the bulbous roots, like strange little heads! The surface almost looks like a drawing, its tonal arrangement reminds me of Georgia O’Keeffe’s flower paintings, but rendered in monochrome. It’s like artists are in an ongoing conversation across time, and I can see their creativity sparking off one another. Ultimately, this photograph embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple readings, and new ways of seeing.