Sunday, April 16, is Wilbur Wright Day. It will be his 156th birthday. Wilbur Wright was born in Millville, Indiana, in 1867. By the time Orville was born, August 19, 1871, the family had moved to Dayton. Wilbur was athletic and outgoing as a child, but in the winter of 1885, while playing hockey, his front teeth were knocked out. Even though his injuries weren’t that bad, he became withdrawn. He was accepted into Yale but decided not to attend college and stayed home looking after his mother, who was terminally ill with tuberculosis. Most of the photographs you see of Wilbur show him with a stoic look on his face. I’m assuming because he was self-conscience of his false front teeth.
While researching for my photography project Wright Brothers: Then and Now, I found a photograph of Wilbur shaking hands with King Alfonzo XIII of Spain in Pau, France, in 1909. It was the first photograph showing Wilbur with a genuine smile and self-confident expression. I wanted to use this historic photograph in my series. While creating pictures for the series in France, I went to the Le Mans racetrack on Friday before the race when visitors were allowed to walk the track. I put King Alfonzo inside the ropes and Wilbur outside the ropes at Le Mans, even though the historic photograph was taken a few months after Wilbur left Le Mans for Pau.
This photograph is part of my Wright Brothers: Then and Now photography series and book. There are twenty-seven photos in this series. I have taken historical pictures by and of the Wright Brothers and then returned to those same locations to create modern photographs. Then I layer the two images together, bridging the time between then and now.
I am a professional photographer and artist in Dayton, Ohio. I’ve worked with corporations, small businesses, and families for over thirty years. My business website is ClearyCreativePhoto.com. I also teach individuals about photography who want to improve their skills.To see more information about photography lessons go to ClearyPhotoWorkshops.com.