Currently on display in the Cummings Arts Center lobby is a photography exhibit titled “Looking for John Winthrop Jr.” composed by Conn’s recently retired photography professor, Ted Hendrickson. This exhibit showcases photographs taken from present day New London and other New England cities and landmarks which relate to the life of John Winthrop Junior or “the Younger.” Winthrop was the eldest son of John Winthrop, the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and his wife Mary Forth.
One of the photographs pictures the timeline of the younger Winthrop’s life beginning from his birth in Groton, Suffolk, England in 1606 to his death in 1675. Winthrop went to Trinity College in Dublin. After college, he traveled around Europe and eventually married his first wife, Martha (Fones) Winthrop. Winthrop then moved to America and unfortunately, shortly after this move, his wife and their daughter died in their new home in Ipswich, MA. However, Winthrop married again to Elizabeth (Reade) Winthrop and continued his travels throughout MA and CT, even travelling to our home, New London, in 1631. In fact, John Winthrop Jr. is credited with founding New London. Winthrop is remembered as a governor, alchemist, healer, and entrepreneur, and for being involved in politics, religion, slavery, and business among other fields. Due to his contribution to the city, the Winthrop Elementary School is named after him.
Hendrickson grew up in New London and went to Winthrop Elementary School. He found inspiration for this exhibit during a visit to his former school. Hendrickson had always been fascinated by Winthrop’s history and connection to New London. Thus, he decided to capture Winthrop’s seventeenth century activities in photographs to evaluate how New London has changed since his time. In an email, Hendrickson explained that he gravitated towards locations in New London that had strong connections to Winthrop such as his home and the statue of Winthrop. He also focused his attention on places that have “Winthrop” in their name– like the Winthrop Parking Garage. Hendrickson hopes that the viewer uses their imagination to question what changes have taken place in the landscapes.
There are photographs from Dock Square in Boston, Quincy, New London, Niantic, and Groton. I was surprised by how many locations included in the exhibit I have visited during my time at Conn. This aspect of the collection was meaningful as it connects to the student body, and makes this exhibit relatable to them. A recurring question students and faculty are constantly asking is how to connect the College to the Greater New London community. This exhibit is a perfect example of how to achieve this and educate students on the New London area.
Besides displaying the current physical layout of New London, the exhibit also features historical elements which contextualize the present. Several photographs have captions with quotes or excerpts from various works of literature from Winthrop’s time. For example, a photograph capturing a beautiful landscape in Ipswich titled “Winthrop Agricultural Land” includes a handwritten letter written by Winthrop. I enjoyed this addition to the exhibit as it combined art with history, an interdisciplinary experience that added a layer to this simple, somewhat bland, exhibit.
For this reason, I particularly liked when Hendrickson sliced images of a singular view, as opposed to singular photos. These spatial gaps improved the visual composition as it complicated the simplistic photographs of beach scenes, machines, and decaying buildings. In particular I enjoyed “Painting by Frederick Allen ca. 1854 / Mill from State Pier Road” which shows three images alongside each other that depicts the evolution of State Pier Road from 1854 to present. On a pigment inkjet print, Hendrickson overlapped old images of New London with new ones in photoshop. In the painting of Frederick Allen, the old image depicts a view of the Old Town Mill, the Winthrop Mansion, and Hodges Square, which has since become a homeless shelter. In the “photograph” Hendrickson uses the Mill to line up the two images. “Thames River from Top of Fort Hill Monument” and “State Pier and Central Vermont Pier” also follow the same form as the aforementioned piece. The only part of the exhibit that was not photographed were three iron slag samples from Quincy, Saugus, and East Heaven.
While simplistic in color, composition, and content this exhibit provokes students to think about how history impacts the physical being of a city such as New London. Hendrickson believes there is unrealized potential in New London that ebbs and flows. As he took photographs of New London, he felt both optimistic and sad as he reflected on Winthrop’s goal for New London to become “a center of commerce and learning,” as stated in an email exchange. These conflicting emotions are expressed in the photographs. As I made my way through the exhibit, I couldn’t help but wonder what Winthrop would think about how his city has evolved, for better or for worse, since he last walked the streets of New London. Hendrickson continues to work on this series, researching and taking more photos to capture Winthrop’s New London. •
