32. Franklin Roosevelt
Born January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt enjoyed a childhood of privilege. Both his father and his mother were of established New York families that had accumulated significant wealth through trade and real estate. In addition to their leisurely country life at Springwood, the family estate overlooking the Hudson River, the Roosevelts wintered in New York City to socialize with other wealthy families, summered at a home on Campobello Island between Maine and New Brunswick, and toured Europe with regularity. As a child, Roosevelt enjoyed sledding, sailing, riding, and collecting birds. He was educated by governesses until he attended Groton Academy at fourteen in preparation for Harvard. Roosevelt donated Springwood to the United States upon his death, and the current National Historic Site includes the birthplace mansion, outbuildings, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, and Roosevelt’s gravesite.
The FDR site is impressive. I spent the better part of a day wandering the grounds, engaged in the museum, and photographing the home. Modifications to the home to enable Roosevelt to move independently despite his disability spoke to hi tenacious spirit. His privileged upbringing must have made the world an intimate and comfortable place for Franklin as he was whisked from one estate to another and across to Europe and back. In my photographs, I wanted to convey the stateliness of the compound, choosing to isolate columns and English ivy that connote wealth and prestige while at the same time illuminating the struggles and call to serve that impacted Roosevelt from an early age.