Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate. Photo by Bob Willcutt
For Bob Willcutt, the joy of photography is its ability to depict the magic of a single moment – preserving forever an interplay of a subject, a certain light and the camera’s perspective.
“A photographer captures a moment in time that will never be repeated. It will never be exactly the same again,” explains Willcutt, owner of Willcutt Guitars, whose lifelong interest in photography began in high school, when he served as photo editor of his school newspaper.
Following the release of his avian photography book, “Feathers of Fayette,” last year, Willcutt has recently released his latest photographic project: a new book spotlighting the beauty and history that permeate the rooms and grounds of Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate.
“Henry Clay’s Ashland: A Pictorial Tribute to one of America’s Greatest Statesmen and his Lexington Kentucky Estate” is the result of months of working to meticulously document every room and key historic artifact on the property, along with its stately exterior grounds and gardens.
“I’ve always been interested in antiques and art, and just being that close to the pieces on the property – including a book inscribed by Clay to Abraham Lincoln, for example – was a thrill,” Willcutt said.
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Utilizing natural light was a priority for Willcutt, who primarily photographed the grounds and rooms early in the mornings. Photo by Bob Willcutt
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Utilizing natural light was a priority for Willcutt, who primarily photographed the grounds and rooms early in the mornings. Photo by Bob Willcutt
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Utilizing natural light was a priority for Willcutt, who primarily photographed the grounds and rooms early in the mornings. Photo by Bob Willcutt
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Utilizing natural light was a priority for Willcutt, who primarily photographed the grounds and rooms early in the mornings. Photo by Bob Willcutt
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Utilizing natural light was a priority for Willcutt, who primarily photographed the grounds and rooms early in the mornings. Photo by Bob Willcutt
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Utilizing natural light was a priority for Willcutt, who primarily photographed the grounds and rooms early in the mornings. Photo by Bob Willcutt
Time Capsule
Willcutt photographed the grounds and rooms primarily using available natural light, arriving early in the mornings to take most images before the property opened to visitors.
He worked closely with curator Eric Brooks during the process, capturing the rooms and historic pieces exactly as they’re typically displayed in the home.
“I took thousands of shots, and the book includes only around 220 or so,” Willcutt said.
Some of Willcutt’s favorite photos include the image of the white marble Henry Clay bust in the drawing room – “to make it look real and three dimensional and not washed out was a challenge,” he explained – and a close-up study of the wedding dress worn by Nannette McDowell Bullock, granddaughter of Henry Clay.
The book alternates between grand, sweeping views of the home’s historic rooms and focused, close-up perspectives of its architectural highlights, including marble detailing on the fireplace hearths, the ornate, domed wooden ceiling of the study, whimsical gutter downspouts and even the front door of the mansion itself.
While Henry Clay never lived in the home as it stands today – due to structural issues, Clay’s son, James, razed the original estate in 1857, after Clay’s death – his legacy nonetheless permeates the grounds. The younger Clay rebuilt the mansion on the same foundation using a floorplan similar to the original, and he and later generations intentionally filled the home with many artifacts directly tied to the famous statesman, including his original license to practice law and a famous painting of him done by Matthew Harris Jouett, both captured in the new book.
For Willcutt, the book serves as a historic time capsule of sorts. “It’s a project that needed to be done,” he said. “This is a document that preserves the house and everything in it, as they are in 2019.”
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As captured through Willcutt’s lens, many of the details inside the home’s rooms and furnishings reflect the style of the late 19th-century Aesthetic movement. Photo by Bob Willcutt
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As captured through Willcutt’s lens, many of the details inside the home’s rooms and furnishings reflect the style of the late 19th-century Aesthetic movement. Photo by Bob Willcutt
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As captured through Willcutt’s lens, many of the details inside the home’s rooms and furnishings reflect the style of the late 19th-century Aesthetic movement. Photo by Bob Willcutt
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As captured through Willcutt’s lens, many of the details inside the home’s rooms and furnishings reflect the style of the late 19th-century Aesthetic movement. Photo by Bob Willcutt
More to Come
Willcutt’s next book project, a photographic study of the Mary Todd Lincoln House, will be issued next year. He anticipates additional Kentucky historic home books may also be in his future. Another passion project – documenting “faces” that naturally seem to appear in the bark of trees around town – keeps him always on the hunt for the perfect shot.
“I’m constantly reading [about photography], seeing what other people are doing and continuously learning,” he said. “Once you think you’ve got it all down, then you realize you don’t know anything. It’s so stimulating, all the different things you can do with a camera.”
Bob Willcutt’s new photography book “Henry Clay’s Ashland” is available at the Henry Clay Estate, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.