Hooton House
- Abigail Haresign
- Mar 31
- 3 min read
Down the street from Women's Rights Activist Alice Paul's house lies the crumbling Hooton House. A place I have been photographing on and off for over a decade at this point. It was old when I started, it's only gone downhill since. My friends and I used to try to scare each other by performing seances. One time we asked for a sign and a startling sound made us gasp, we all turned toward the road and saw our friend who lived in the neighborhood zipping down the street on his bike. We laughed a lot once our surprise faded. Now it seems the house too is quickly fading away alongside the rights that Alice Paul fought hard for.
When people find out that I am a photographer they often ask me what I photograph. I have always found that question hard to answer as I find that I photograph what is in front of me. I do however have an affinity for portraits. Here are a few of Kier during an era of my photography where I was learning how to use Adobe Lightroom. Don't be fooled though, Kier is as beautiful inside and out as these photos make her out to be and I am thankful she let me practice my photography on her. She may have also been the mastermind behind spooking our friends, (but you didn't hear that from me). She got the best grades in our friend group and in our school, (but you didn't hear that from me) and I know she is succeeding in life at everything she sets her mind to.
Around this time in my photography carreer I started to realize I also enjoyed photographing old houses. This ultimately led me to write my artists statement for the school photography show. I was extra and put all of my titles in French as well as had my French teacher assist me to translate my Artist statement into French as well, "Le Statement de Abby le Artiste" est...
" Old Houses are wonderful storytellers. Homes that were once filled with love and life have more character than any human I have ever photographed. Houses are not shy and they are filled with imperfections and beauty. I crave the peeling paint and broken shutters on old houses. I itch to photograph them. I love the springtime when wildflowers and vines grow free in the yards of these homes. I love to imagine the families who lived inside and try to capture the spirit of how sad the house looks without their family. It gives the home character, and that is what I seek to capture.
Old Houses are few and hard to come by but often I can get the same feel from people. I am passionate about capturing someone's character in a single freeze frame. I live to capture facial expressions, hand gestures, emotions, and so much more in that fraction of a second. I love the challenge of proving someone wrong when they say they are not photogenic. It is a satisfying feeling to capture someone's personality and make them feel beautiful. I have never been more determined than to capture character, wherever it be found."
The decline of the house feels eerie, yet accurate. My passion for photography is not what it was when I was seventeen and writing that artist statement. I feel determination for other things, but I do still love having access to a camera when the light strikes just right, or when I feel the need to document the passage of time. Looking back on this artist statement, what stands out to me is how aware I was of how sad the home looked without a family. It has only become sadder with time.
What a beautiful reflection! Good times and I still take a walk over to Hooton house every time I'm home. ❤️Kier