"Andrew Jackson and Friends"
Raleigh, NC - December 2008 (Click to embiggen)
Assuming the title of this post doesn't land me on a watch list that results in my disappearance, someday I'm going to get a shot of this statue that I love. (I like this one mind you, but I don't love it.) I've tried a couple of times to get the silhouette of Andrew Jackson astride his horse, backlit by the floodlights of the capitol building. But it's never been quite as sharp as I wanted.There are actually three statues in this shot however, representing the three US Presidents to come from North Carolina. In addition to "Old Hickory" (who ironically was living and working in Tennessee when he was elected president) are Andrew Johnson - a Raleigh native, and James K. Polk from the Pineville/Mecklenberg County area near Charlotte.I have a special kinship with Jackson however, in a quite literal sense according to family legend. Supposedly he's from the line of Jacksons in Eastern North Carolina from whence one root of my family tree sprung. My paternal grandmother's line of the family org chart is the Jacksons, and according to her Andrew was my great-great-great something or other back in the day. I've never confirmed the story however.The presidential statues face east from the Capitol grounds, but I have no idea if there's any symbolic or heraldic significance to that.
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27 comments:
Not bad at all! That photo is great, Mr.J .. err ..kin of Mr.A.Jackson! :)
I think it's a great shot of your "relative"! Wouldn't it be fun to find out just how many of us are in some way connected to those "dead presidents"? Keep a watch out for the secret service! Thanks for sharing and have a great week!
It's a beautiful building and the sculpture is quite impressive, more so in the daylight!
I think blogger had hung up on me as I posted my reply, so here goes a second time (unfortunately, I can never write the same thing twice).
Your relative looks grand! Are we to expect a picture of you on horseback next time? You're more than welcome to join us in the Zinder bush!
Warm greetings from Africa,
Esther
http://esthergarvi.com/2009/02/16/from-one-end-of-the-road-to-another/
Beautiful, and dramatic, Mojo.
Hey, presidents die. Nothing subversive about that.
I love night photos and this one is beautiful! Even better to hear the story behind it, thanks!
I'm sure I'm not related to any dead U/S. presidents...or any king or queens, for that matter. I'm peasant stock all the way back! ;-)
Mojo: Congrats on being the first post. This was interesting and a neat photo of the President's statue.
Time for new glasses. I still see only one president, unless the horse has been elected to something. (I will trust you all to NOT make the obvious comment here.)
Nice shot, but when do you get to fly aboard Air Force One?
It's almost impossible to make them out, but the other two presidents are seated in front of the horse. But the backlighting means they get lost in the shadow.
Trust me, they're there!
And no, as far as I know, the horse was never elected to office.
No matter what, still this post is excellent.
nice lines of the building. i wonder how that building looks in daylight.
isn't that cool to have a former president as your relative? :)
My World entry is here
Now I 'm really curious. You should dive into the vault and check this out. Old man Lincoln is Abraham Lincoln's descendant so another blogger.. Totally agree with you about all you said on mine today.
Nothing like being descended from kings or presidents!
A friend of mine could trace hers bach to the Plantagenets.
Very cool shot.
Must be a great feeling getting connected with the past! The night shot looks awesome.
Nice night shot! Next time, get a little closer and use your flash to fill in some of the statue.
Very beautiful with the warm glowing light
KK
well i certainly hope you don't disappear. wonderful lighting, sets a grand atmosphere...
that's a wonderful shot - I do so adore photos that have been taken in the evening adds that extra dimension to them. Judith
That capital area is a great place for exploring photo-ops. I like this night shot of the Capital building. I captures the character of the area at night.
Nice night shot!
May they are facing east to catch the first rays of the morning sun. Nice night shot.
Here's hoping your still with us next week, after this intersting post and piccie!
Mojo, Old Hickory would probably be an uncle as he didn't have direct blood descendants, but that wouldn't surprise me one bit if you were related! Neat!
I'm fascinated by Jackson because he was one of the most popular figures to ever hold the presidency. He had such an interesting life, and then such tragedy as well... like Rachel's death. Let me recommend his bio by Robert Rimini and the wonderful book about Jackson and the battle of New Orleans by the same author. Rimini is a Jackson scholar and a fascinating historian.
Some of my Scottish family was on the frontier in Waxhaw in and around the area from whence Andrew hailed... so our ancesors were probably out there together! I have NC roots on one line that go back to early colonial times and the area on the Virginia border. Some of the family (a collateral line) founded Raleigh.
I love genealogy, and I can see where you would enjoy it, too!
XO,
Sheila :-)
Make that a cousin, Mojo, as I think his brothers might have perished during the Revolution. He was orpahanned, I know that.
Sheila
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