Fort Carroll is an abandoned 19th-century military installation in the Patapsco River. Development proposals, both public and private, have fallen through over the years, and the island has been overrun by thousands of birds. But members of the family that owns Fort Carroll, a 3.45-acre island that lies southeast of the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge, still have hopes for it.
Sherwood Gardens dates to the mid-1920s, when John W. Sherwood and his wife, Mary Franklin, began planting flower beds with cuttings of boxwoods and other specimens they had collected from the neglected gardens of Colonial estates in Southern Maryland, to fill in bare spots they could see from the house. On a May day in 1930, Sherwood stepped off his back porch and found himself surrounded by hundreds of people. “They were all strangers and they were wandering all over his Guilford estate looking at his flowers,” said a 1957 article in The Sunday Sun Magazine. Since then, blooms at Sherwood Gardens have been a Baltimore tradition.
Today, the Guilford Association, which plants approximately 80,000 bulbs, still maintains Sherwood’s tradition of digging up this season’s bulbs and replacing them. Typically peak bloom occurs the last week of April through the first week in May depending on weather conditions, according the Guilford Association.
The Baltimore Sun has a rich history of great photographers and one of my personal favorites is Richard Stacks. His images are part art and part journalism. He is a master of light and composition and is able to maximize both qualities in his images.
What does Christmas in Baltimore mean to you? Can it be viewing the wonderful light displays on 34th Street, visiting Santa for wishes of toys and puppies, amazed by intricate Christmas gardens or listening to merry tunes like “Crabs For Christmas.” In the latest retro installment from The Darkroom, we highlight Christmas trees, Santas, and decorations of years past. Take a stroll through memory lane or find tips for your holiday style. Photos featured include those from Sun photographers A. Aubrey Bodine, Lloyd Pearson, Walter McCardell, Richard Stacks, Weyman Swagger and Jed Kirschbaum.
Baltimore-based photographer James Singewald has been documenting the city’s deterioration one block at a time. Most recently his graduate work at the Maryland Institute College of Art focused on the failed urban renewal project known as Old Town Mall. His current project “Baltimore: A History, Block by Block” takes a similar approach. Below, Singewald talks about how his projects coincide and the need to revitalize Baltimore’s communities. He also shares with The Darkroom, photos from “Old Town, East Baltimore.”
This is Part 1 in a two-part series about Old Town Mall. Click to read Part 2.
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One of the most iconic photos taken of the Orioles was snapped back in 1966 after the team had just swept the World Series in four straight games. It features pitcher Dave McNally, catcher Andy Etchebarren and an airborne third baseman Brooks Robinson.
“Brooks made the picture,” said Baltimore Sun photographer Paul Hutchins, who took the photo with a large-format, 21/4 -inch Praktisix camera, using a 600 mm lens. “When the last ball was hit to the outfield, I thought, ‘This is gonna be a big deal.’ So I watched the pitcher [McNally] and, as he came off the mound, I snapped his grin.”
Getty photographer Matt Cardy photographed a fin whale that was stranded on a beach off the St Austell coast in England on August 13.
He says it was the first time for him photographing a distressed whale and a first time for most of the rescuers to have dealt with such a large mammal at 20 meters (65 ft). Fin whales are the second largest animal on the planet and an endangered species.
According to Cardy, he was listening to the 7 p.m. BBC headlines in his car when the broadcast reported news of the whale. A quick check of his satellite navigation, revealed that he was less than an hour away, so he headed to the beach – a random chance that he was so close that evening.
Below, he describes the surreal scene.
“It was my first day on the night shift. He took me to the Calvert House for a beer and a bowl of crab soup — my first…That was Joe in a nutshell. Nothing ever fazed him.” — Robert K. Hamilton
Baltimore Sun’s award-winning photographer Joseph A. “Joe” DiPaola, Jr., passed away Friday at the age of 91. Director of Photography Robert K. Hamilton recounts his first night shift at The Sun with Joe almost thirty years ago.
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This week, Los Angeles and the rest of the nation reflects on the 1992 L.A. riots. Twenty years ago, Los Angeles erupted after a jury acquitted four police officers in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King. City-wide riots lasted for six days as Los Angeles exploded with racially charged violence, looting, and fire. Sixty-three deaths were linked to the riots, according to the Los Angeles Times, while some 2,000 were said to have been injured. Here’s a look at the city of Los Angeles, then and now.
William Shakespeare wrote, “All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Over the years, the photographers of The Baltimore Sun have captured for eternity these characters in some of their funniest and strangest moments. These are a sampling of the many pictures taken that we hope will make you pause and either smile, chuckle or laugh. We would love to hear which are your favorites.
Baltimore neighborhoods
Baltimore street photographers
Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
24 hours with...
A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above