Bathtub Graves
by Jim Cook
Title
Bathtub Graves
Artist
Jim Cook
Medium
Photograph - Photography Digita Art
Description
This photo was taken at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis Tennessee. The cemetery is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Bathtub graves also known as cradle graves are distinctive featuring a headstone and then a planter that resembles a bathtub. Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia PA has been a leader in merging present day thoughts of cemeteries to a more Victorian view.
Elmwood cemetery is also following suit. The day I was there we met a volunteer who was planting fresh flowers on the site near where this photo was taken. She was a Master Gardener and another helper was someone who was new to gardening.
The types of flowers that are planted are generally of the container variety and as much as possible are chosen from the varieties that would have been used in the early 19th century.
The aim of these efforts is to encourage people to treat these Green Spaces as an oasis from the ordinariness of daily life in the city. So bring a blanket, a picnic lunch and relax in the beauty and history of these special places.
More artwork similar to this is viewable in my collection titled Cemeteries and Statues
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-jim-cook.html?tab=artworkgalleries&artworkgalleryid=788598
Uploaded
May 21st, 2018
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