Esther Howe Anderson


Photograper, farmer, and observer of Thoreau Country In Concord,Massachusetts
created unique Thoreauvian slidelectures in the 1940's and 50's.

She was born on July 26, 1891 and died on February 28, 1985 in Concord.

A Concord Woman, she always said, "It's a great life!"

The Thoreau Society

here



Slidelectures 1941-1970

Thoreau Country


Esther's first slidelecture begun in 1941 was eventually the favorite
and gives a good cross section of the Concord landscape, focussing on
Thoreau's travels around Concord, seeing the landscape.
In a complete form, Thoreau Country Book.

Cape Cod



Autumnal Tints



A Walk to Wachusett



Thoreau Gardens



Ireland



Herbs

-archived, New England Herb Society

"The scenery, when it is truly seen, reacts on the life of the seer....
That is my everyday business" HDT

Retrospective Slidelecture of EHA by WWA

Seeing the Concord Landscape

OPEN * Seeing Exhibition & Lecture

Photographs by Esther Howe Anderson
Slidelecture by William Wheeler Anderson

Presented at The Concord Free Public Library, Fall 2000.
"Seeing" Exhibit in the Library Gallery, & LINKS to "Testaments"



Photographer and Thoreauvian

A Riding Journal: Travels by Horse in Concord, Lincoln, and Sudbury (1937-1941)

Open Travels Journal 

Esther Howe Anderson was a Concordian 
who lived on her father's farm the
 

Frank Wheeler Farm on Fitchburg Turnpike by the Sudbury River.
 She  photographed all her life, andcreated "Thoreau Country" 
in the early 1940's using the new Kodachrome film.
 Unlike black & white photography, the slides had an amazing effect 
in reproducing nature especially when folk gathered in
the long cold, dreary, New England winter.

 She began her second career, observering nature, and photographing Nature,
as a slidelecturer when she combined her pictures to dramatize
Thoreau's written words from The Journals. Her first presentation of 
"Thoreau Country" was in 1941 when The Thoreau Society 
gathered for the first time - over 57 years ago.

As she created more slidelectures (Cape Cod, Autumnal Tints, Herbs, Ireland),
 she presented them before civic and educational groups
 and continued for thirty years giving lectures around New England.
  Her grandchildren were surprised when she appeared in their school room 
to give a slidelecture.  Her work falls into a tradition of imaging
 Thoreau's thoughts, a pursuit of many photographers, such as Herbert Gleason,
who were inspired to see what Thoreau saw and recorded.
 
Esther Howe's photography is more than Thoreau's mind,
it is a timeless visual record -where one can slip along 
the banks of the Concord river in a stream that sometimes seems 
as if it is going backwards into the deep recesses of thought.

Esther's Eulogy by Reverend Dana McLean Greeley