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Historic Canal
In a span of over 15 years, I have traveled the majority of the 44-mile long Delaware Raritan Canal and 22-mile feeder, in NJ. In the last several years, I have become increasingly aware of the significance of this canal which immigrant laborers dug by hand over a four-year period in the early 1830s. Originally built as a way to transport goods from Philadelphia to NYC, this canal is now part of the National Recreation Trail System.
During the last few years I have also traveled a large portion of the 58.9 mile-long Delaware Canal which runs from Bristol to Easton in Pa. Much like the D&R Canal it was used as a way to transport coal from Pennsylvania to cities along the east coast.
Today, countless nature lovers, walkers, runners and bikers use the canal and towpaths that run along side them. These recreational corridors are now a place where nature, historic remnants and eclectic man-made artifacts happily coexist. Despite the fact that there are no people in any of the images, a human presence and a nod to a time long past is pervasive.
Inspired by the photographs of Carleton Watkins from the early 1860s, I decided to print this work in a similar style. My lightly toned black and white arched top images are reminiscent of photographs often seen during that time. These photographs explore various sections of these historic canals.
