Glimpses of the natural world: Lorine Niedecker as photographer

[Visual Essay] Photographs from the Lorine Niedecker archives at the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson show how the poet observed light, landscape and detail

“She is alive in a visual world,” remarks scholar Caryl Pagel in her University Place lecture on the life and work of poet Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970). In preparing her talk, Pagel studied the photographs preserved in the Lorine Niedecker Archival Collection at the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson. While she highlights existing images of Niedecker herself, Pagel also notes the many pictures taken from the poet’s point of view: “[Niedecker] made travel books, scrapbooks, collages. Many of her remaining photos weren’t of people at all, but of the natural world — glimpses she caught of the light and the grass and the animals.”

In an interview about the making of Welcome Poets, series producer Colin Crowley said his favorite discovery was realizing Niedecker “was a very intentional photographer.” And in the fourth chapter of the series, Nicholas Gulig explores how Niedecker used both photography and watercolor as part of her sustained practice of documenting the world around her.

Merrilee Lee, Director of the Hoard Historical Museum, together with the Friends of Lorine Niedecker, generously allowed PBS Wisconsin’s archival producer to digitize a substantial number of photographs from the Niedecker collection for use in Welcome Poets, and granted us further permission to present a selection of those digitized works here as a photo essay.

The images below are accompanied by brief captions. In some cases, Niedecker left only a word or two written on the back of the photo as identifying information, which we reproduce verbatim in quotation marks. Where she left no information, captions were supplied with the help of the Hoard Historical Museum and the Friends of Lorine Niedecker, or left blank.

All images courtesy of the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson, Wis.

A view of a one-story green house with white shutters and a shingled roof, seen from the yard. Bushes line the front, trees stand beside the house, and a tall tree to the right shows autumn foliage.
"My house, Sept. '61, late in day." (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
A small motorboat and a white canoe are tied to a wooden dock along a tree-lined riverbank. The water reflects the brown and green tones of the scene. The photograph has a warm tint and a white border labeled “JUL 62.”
"Minke's boats," July '62. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
View of a calm river bordered by trees with sparse autumn leaves, seen from a grassy shoreline. Houses line the opposite bank under a pale blue sky.
"Nov." (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
A small blue and white boat covered with a tarp sits on land beside a dark green house in winter. Snow covers the ground, and bare trees surround the house. A hand water pump and picnic table are visible in the foreground. The photo border reads “FEB 63."
House and boat in winter, Feb ’63. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
View of several trees with yellow autumn leaves along the edge of a calm river under a blue sky with scattered clouds. The corner of a house roof appears at the right edge of the image. The photo border is dated October 1964.
"Lorine photo," looking out on the river, Oct '64. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
Small light-green house beside a pond bordered by leafless trees and red brush under a clear blue sky. “MAR 66” printed at top edge of photo.
“March from new house”, March '66. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
View through a window of trees standing in shallow water along a riverbank. The scene is softly lit, with pale autumn leaves and reflections on the water. The photo border reads ‘Mar 66.’
“From new house front window–a little high water, fall ‘65” (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
Color photograph dated March 1966 showing a calm river bordered by trees with sparse autumn leaves. A small rowboat rests on the grassy riverbank in the foreground, and sunlight filters through the branches over the still water.
"Lorine photo," from house to river with boat, March '66. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
A 1960s color photograph dated July 1966 shows a green house partially visible on the left, beside a garden with blooming pale pink irises and a tall pink flowering shrub. Trees and bright green grass fill the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
“backyard of former home (green house)”, July '66. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
A view of a flowered lawn with red clover in bloom leading to a tree-lined riverbank. A bench sits in the distance.
“Lawn of new place ’66 clover.” (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
Faded color photograph dated June 1968 showing a grassy yard with small flowering shrubs in red, pink, and yellow. A line of trees and tall grass fill the background under a hazy sky.
“Spring west lawn," June '68. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
A slightly blurry photograph of red and pink hollyhocks blooming beside a white garage with a small window, bordered by a green lawn. The top edge of the photo is stamped with “Sep 68.”
Red and pink Hollyhocks at side of garage, Sep ‘68. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
Small wooden house partially obscured by leafy trees and bushes, with a short stairway leading up to a green door and a red brick chimney visible through the foliage.
Green cottage, spring. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
View through a window showing a snowy yard with leafless trees and a wooden bird feeder on a post. A patterned curtain hangs along the right edge of the frame. The photo is dated April 1970.
Birdfeeder, winter, from window & curtain in new house, April ’70. (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)
A red wheelbarrow tipped on its side in deep snow beside a pale green house. Bare trees and snow-covered branches fill the background. The photo border is marked “APR 70.”
“April 2 ‘70." (Source: Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson, Wis.)