Antidote to the Royal Academy
John Margolies spent forty years (1969-2008) driving around the American backroads and photographing roadside attractions. It started when he was a teenager and first got his driver’s license.
He would typically rent a car and stay in motels, driving out early in the morning before families arrived. He particularly like the morning sky and would skip a site if he didn’t like the light. He got a journalism and art history degree and supported himself writing books.
He bequeathed the lot to the Library of Congress, and you can browse them here. Though I didn’t find the interactive map very interactive.
I tried to do something similar. I bought my first SLR camera to document the freakshow posters at the state fair and – wouldn’t you know it? – that was the year they all got cold feet about the existence of freakshows.
Posted: October 15th, 2026 under personal.
Comments: 3
Comments
Comment from Deborah HH
Time: October 15, 2026, 8:41 pm
I loved the television show “The Rockford Files. Recall in the opening scenes of the show, Rockford is being secretly photographed as the drives around town, and it made me want a SLR camera of my own.
One day at lunch (in 1975) two of my co-workers (former military) took me shopping for a camera, and I bought a Minolta SRT 202. I loved that camera like a baby, and 20 years later the shutter was worn out.
I was so grieved that my second father bought himself a Nikon F3 (and wink wink) gave it to me a month later because it was more camera than he needed. I still have both. I need to put them glass boxes.
Comment from Bob Mulroy
Time: October 19, 2026, 4:11 pm
Did you ever see the Mother Goose house in Hazard, Kentucky?
The Mulroy and Wang foundation almost bought it when it lost its head, but some more dedicated locals stepped in.
Comment from Bob Mulroy
Time: October 19, 2026, 4:27 pm
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Beware: more than one link in a comment is apt to earn you a trip to the spam filter, where you will remain -- cold, frightened and alone -- until I remember to clean the trap. But, hey, without Akismet, we'd be up to our asses in...well, ass porn, mostly.<< carry me back to ol' virginny