“Upon graduating college, I set off into the world with a Leica-1 camera and one suitcase, believing fresh starts are best commenced with limited baggage.” –A.I.B.
People seem to like road trips and digging up old stuff. Whether it’s the strange guy combing the beach with a metal detector or a kid digging for China, a shovel is a universally understood gizmo. Dinosaurs are big in Montana; everywhere actually, but really big there. The state has been a historical treasure trove for paleontologists, in particular those seeking to uncover fossils of the renowned bad boy of its day–Tyrannosaurus Rex. Some of the more celebrated discoveries have included North America’s first dinosaur remains found by Ferdinand Hayden in 1854 and the world’s first T-rex uncovered in 1892 by Barnum Brown. Everyone loves Dinosaurs. Some grew up watching The Flintstones; others got stuck with Barney & Friends. Not to be a frogmouth, but HOW UNFAIR IS LIFE?
So Why Montana?
I have always had a thing for Montana. The allure of an untamed wilderness under a big sky and its serving as the promised land in Lonesome Dove might be at fault. The understated gem A River Runs Through It provides a picturesque snapshot of 1920s Missoula, and it was in such a setting I wanted my heroine, Alexandra Bathenbrook, to start her journey. Though affluent, she needed to have some outdoor savvy and a pedigree of having been raised with a bit of bobcat in her. I chose Helena, as it held, per capita, more millionaires than any city in the world in this age. The only Montana chapter in the book portrays Bozeman in 1927, and within it lies the setup for the entire novel. Alexandra, freshly sprung from Montana State College, attends the grand opening of the Gallatin Gateway Inn. The event was a big whoop-de-do, with over 2000 in attendance. Talk of Charles Lindbergh’s pending visit to Butte and the hot off the wires arrest of thrill killer “Dark Strangler” were no doubt buzz conversations at the gala. Unlike Brad Pitt in the above clip, Alexandra was destined to leave Montana. It was a long way from Tipperary–a long way from everywhere–and distant adventures beckoned. Her initial goal was to photograph wildlife in their natural habitats, but destiny held larger plans. Over the next two years, she would venture to such lands as Uganda, Morocco, and uncharted realms of the Amazon rainforest to perfect her skills and fortify her resumé.
Famous Snapshots
Without a doubt, the first to Perfect the Shutterbug Strut was French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce. In 1826, he took the first known photograph, entitled “View from the window of the Niepce Estate in Burgundy.” For such a mouthful, it was not much of a view, but prior to it, no one had ever viewed a photograph. Thus, this qualified him as the first to complete the strut. Some other firsts in the history of photography include…
1. The first “Selfie” was taken in 1839 by American chemist Robert Cornelius (not a bad looking fella).
2. The first photograph taken by a woman was by Constance Fox Talbot in 1839. It was of a passage of a poem (boring).
3. The first erotic photograph was taken by Felix Jacquet Antoine Moulin in France circa 1850. It is an image of a young woman posing nude in a rather fetching manner. Moulin was arrested for the steamy nature of his work.
Anyway, here is a link that displays the above and other important “firsts” in photography.
Fresh Starts
In the novel, Alexandra will cross paths with many people on the cusp of fame. I wanted one to be a struggling actor, and by luck found Archibald Leach loitering New York in 1927. I left 15 clues on his future identity in his romantic taxi scene with Alexandra, but you may cheat with the image included here. In many ways, the crux of the novel takes place in Amazonia, so I wanted to foreshadow its importance early in the story. I chose the Lillie Langtry Room at Keens Chophouse as the setting for Alexandra’s meeting with the Explorers Club. Among those hosting her is daredevil aviator George Dyott; recently returned from South America, having retraced and validated the footsteps of the 1913 Theodore Roosevelt-Candido Rondon expedition down the River of Doubt. (I highly recommend Candice Millard’s bestselling account about that expedition. Great book!) Dyott was now soliciting funding for a return to Mato Grosso, Brazil, to seek the whereabouts and fate of famous British explorer Percy Fawcett, who had had vanished in 1925 during his quest to find the fabled Lost City of Z. It would no doubt be a perilous and interesting mission, so naturally, Alexandra took occasion to toss her hat into the ring as expedition photographer.
Next Time: Off to England…