Magnolia Plantation & Gardens - Charleston, SC
An excerpt about The Magnolia Plantation & Gardens Story -
In the late 17th century, Stephen Fox acquired a 400-acre plantation along the banks of the Ashley River. Fox passed the land to his son-in-law, Thomas Drayton, thus establishing the Drayton family name upon the Ashley’s shores. The Draytons expanded their land holdings over the next two centuries reaching nearly 1,700 acres by the dawn of the Civil War. This land made up what became known as Magnolia-on-the-Ashley and later Magnolia Plantation & Gardens.
Carolina Gold Rice cultivated by the enslaved provided the vast wealth enjoyed by the Drayton family. Its name derived from the golden hue of the unhulled grains and for the riches it bestowed upon the planter class of Lowcountry South Carolina. However, those who toiled under the yoke of slavery to those golden grains are not forgotten. Four restored and preserved enslaved cabins are still present on the property. Dedicated conservation work continues to ensure we honor those who labored in the rice fields, house, and gardens at Magnolia Plantation.
I had the pleasure of photographing Magnolia Plantation just a few days after my time at the Whitney. The team at Magnolia could not have been more hospitable and supportive of my upcoming exhibition, Hallowing the Ground: Honoring Enslaved Lives Through the Spaces They Lived and Worked.
For this collection, I focused solely on the interiors of the slave cabins. These spaces embody the spirit of what I hope to communicate through the images and audio narration of this exhibition.
The photographs were created to inspire reflection and contemplation. I chose to shoot just after sunrise, allowing the soft, diffused light to illuminate the cabins and help tell their story in an honest and reverent way.
During the exhibition, these images will be paired with an audio narration featuring first-person dialogue spoken by formerly enslaved individuals. This added layer of storytelling seeks to amplify their voices, fostering a deeper connection to their lives and experiences.
To learn more about this exhibition, feel free to email me at paul@langephotostudio.com.
If you have a historical space that needs to be captured in an authentic way, drop me a line to schedule a Zoom meeting. I’d love to hear from you and learn more about it.
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