A. Aubrey Bodine's 1937 photograph "Old Iron Furnace" offers a window into Maryland's industrial past, capturing the remnants of the Legh Furnace near Avondale in Carroll County. The image, available through www.aaubreybodine.com, documents a site that once thrived as part of an iron business established by Legh Masters in 1770. Masters, born in London in 1717, emigrated to America seeking fortune and purchased thousands of acres in Frederick County (now Carroll County) to create Legh Furnace. After his death in 1796, Isaac Van Bibber bought the property in 1802 and renamed it Avondale. Today, the land is part of a golf course community called Furnace Hills, obscuring its industrial roots.
Bodine, a celebrated pictorialist photographer, captured this scene during his 47-year career at the Baltimore Sunday Sun. His work, which includes over 6,000 photographs, is preserved on www.aaubreybodine.com. Bodine's photographs are noted for their artistic quality, often employing techniques such as dye manipulation and cloud addition to achieve desired effects. He believed photography could be a creative discipline, studying art principles at the Maryland Institute College of Art and treating his camera as a tool akin to a painter's brush.
The importance of "Old Iron Furnace" lies in its documentation of a bygone industry that fueled early American expansion. Iron furnaces like Legh Furnace were vital to the colonial economy, producing tools, weapons, and household items. Bodine's photograph preserves the physical remains of this history, showing the stone structure that once housed the furnace. The image serves as a visual record of technological and economic development in Maryland, reminding viewers of the state's role in the Industrial Revolution.
Bodine's legacy extends beyond this single photograph. His work won top honors in international salon competitions, and his biography, "A Legend In His Time" by Harold A. Williams, is available on the website. The photograph can be ordered as a reprint or note card through www.aaubreybodine.com, ensuring continued access to this historical artifact. By capturing the Old Iron Furnace, Bodine not only showcased his artistic skill but also preserved a tangible link to Maryland's industrial heritage, making this image significant for historians, art enthusiasts, and the general public alike.
