Keith F. Davis
An air of honor and foundation resonates from this corner of the Vermont State Capitol Building. Red fabrics define the composition of this photograph. As the heavy velvet of the couch below the cabinet anchors the lighter fabrics of the flags inside, a visual metaphor is created for what the flags once represented and the ideologies that grounded them. Davis is most well known for his curatorial accomplishments in photography, but his personal content is notable for its striking compositions and architectural orientation.
This photograph features a cabinet of Civil War-era flags representing the Vermont Brigade Guidon and its Sixth Infantry Division. The flags are hung in the cabinet at various heights and planes, creating a collaged sense of depth that encourages reminiscence and memory. In contrast to the ornamented white walls, the cabinet and the ornamented couch below balance the photograph with darker hues that altogether emphasize the flag at the center of the photograph. The flag represents the First Vermont Calvary Regiment Flag, stylized similarly to that of the nations.
This photograph appears to pronounce the institutions of knowledge, art, and architecture in featuring an antique bookcase, marble bust, and doric column as its subjects. Filled with rich brown, leather-bound books and comprising nearly half of the photograph, the bookcase suggests knowledge as the prominent value of this corner.