Reading the Messages in Everyday Things

As an inspired observer of landscapes urban and rural, historian John Stilgoe teaches us all to see with new eyes

  • By Richard & Joyce Wolkomir
  • Smithsonian magazine, April 2000, Subscribe
 

John Stilgoe, the Robert and Lois Orchard Professor in the History of Landscape Development at Harvard University, stares raptly at a manhole cover. Lunchgoers hurry by along Broadway, just a few blocks from Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But it is only Stilgoe who notices the iron disk embedded in the pavement underfoot. To him, such humble artifacts — manhole covers, fire hydrants — are "portals into the past."

 Stilgoe is a scholar of the ordinary: lampposts and Interstate ramps, back doors, backyards, back alleys and the backs of signs, power-line poles, mailboxes, malls, the configuration of parking spaces. He had explored his quirky, and revealing, observations in, at last count, six books, ranging from Borderlands: Origins of the American Suburb to Metropolitan Corridor: Railroads and the American Scene. His most recent title, Outside Lies Magic, teaches us to see mundane cityscapes and townscapes and roadscapes as he does, as scenes rich in information, studded with question marks.

Take, for instance, a typical backyard in Cambridge. "You can learn a great deal about America by taking a look at our backyards," Stilgoe says. To prove it, he chooses one at random. "See, there's a new pergola going up. It's because of a growing dislike of the sun; you'll see more of that."

Stilgoe honed his skills at probing into our built environment's history, sociology and economics under Harvard's Prof. John Brinckerhoff Jackson — prickly, but a genius at the cultural study of landscapes. As Stilgoe continues to work in that tradition, he is investigating our rapidly receding past, even as he prognosticates about the shape of our future.


John Stilgoe, the Robert and Lois Orchard Professor in the History of Landscape Development at Harvard University, stares raptly at a manhole cover. Lunchgoers hurry by along Broadway, just a few blocks from Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But it is only Stilgoe who notices the iron disk embedded in the pavement underfoot. To him, such humble artifacts — manhole covers, fire hydrants — are "portals into the past."

 Stilgoe is a scholar of the ordinary: lampposts and Interstate ramps, back doors, backyards, back alleys and the backs of signs, power-line poles, mailboxes, malls, the configuration of parking spaces. He had explored his quirky, and revealing, observations in, at last count, six books, ranging from Borderlands: Origins of the American Suburb to Metropolitan Corridor: Railroads and the American Scene. His most recent title, Outside Lies Magic, teaches us to see mundane cityscapes and townscapes and roadscapes as he does, as scenes rich in information, studded with question marks.

Take, for instance, a typical backyard in Cambridge. "You can learn a great deal about America by taking a look at our backyards," Stilgoe says. To prove it, he chooses one at random. "See, there's a new pergola going up. It's because of a growing dislike of the sun; you'll see more of that."

Stilgoe honed his skills at probing into our built environment's history, sociology and economics under Harvard's Prof. John Brinckerhoff Jackson — prickly, but a genius at the cultural study of landscapes. As Stilgoe continues to work in that tradition, he is investigating our rapidly receding past, even as he prognosticates about the shape of our future.

    Subscribe now for more of Smithsonian's coverage on history, science and nature.


 

Add New Comment


Name: (required)

Email: (required)

Comment:

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until Smithsonian.com has approved them. Smithsonian reserves the right not to post any comments that are unlawful, threatening, offensive, defamatory, invasive of a person's privacy, inappropriate, confidential or proprietary, political messages, product endorsements, or other content that might otherwise violate any laws or policies.

Comments (1)

What a letdown. I already AM a Smithsonian subscriber. Have been for decades. Sadly, I wasn't smart enough to save "Reading the Messages in Everyday Things" when it first appeared. Stilgoe's Outside Lies Magic is a fabulous read for anyone with a lively interest in exploring the urban fabric around us, and a recent rereading of that book brought this also-very-enjoyable article back to mind. But--come on, Smithsonian--where is the REST of it? BTW: Just as the search result popped up but before I could actually click the link to see the article, I was interrupted by a request to take a survey regarding my "experience" with smithsonianmag.com today. Had I known what I was about to (not) find, some of my survey responses would have been different. Please, guys, be more clear in telling us when search results lead only to an "abstract." Even more helpful, please tell us if there's any way to get to the complete article.

Posted by miaveiledlady on November 23,2012 | 01:43 AM



Advertisement