I’ve posted a number of my pictures from the House on the Rock on Photoblog and Facebook. It’s a photographer’s dream, and a strange and wonderful place (OK, some people might argue with the “wonderful” part). It is so strange and wonderful that Neil Gaiman made the Carousel Room a meeting place for the gods in his novel American Gods. The House sits on a hill near Frank Lloyd Wright’s beautiful home Taliesen in Spring Green, WI.
There are a ton of articles and pictures of the House on the Rock on the Web, but here are a few I’ve taken over the years. These were shots of things that I found interesting, and I tend to like weird things. There is lots more good stuff at the House that is not so weird.
The photographic quality is not great – these were taken with snapshot cameras, often in difficult light.
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The Infinity Room
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One entire 4-story space is dedicated to a battle between a whale and a giant squid:
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Then there is the big ol’ carousel. They claim it’s the largest carousel anywhere, with 20,000 lights and 269 animals.
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The carousel has no horses, but it does have a large number of less-than-fully-clothed female mannequins. (Actually, I suppose even one nude mannequin is a lot for a carousel.) I felt it was important to take pictures of several of these mannequins to provide an accurate sense of the place. 🙂 Here is a small sample.
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And if you look up, there are even more female mannequins!
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Oddly, there were no nude male mannequins. Go figure.
Tomorrow I’ll post Part 2, featuring the creepy doll carousel and other wonders.
Love it! This is definitely a place I would hang out and click forever. Now the doll/carousel from your Thursday techy makes sense. The infinity room looks really fascinating. Looks like I might have a trip ahead of me. Thanks for sharing these photos.
If you do visit, I recommend you go to Frank Lloyd Wright’s house as well. It’s nearby. I’d heard stories that the House on the Rock was built as a “f*** you” to Wright, because Wright had disparaged the owner/architect’s competence. Wikipedia says the story isn’t true, but it makes a good tale (and here I am repeating it!).
Tom I believe that particular house is the one he built for his wife…..the one mentioned in the book “Loving Frank” . We have one of “his houses here called “The Dana Thomas House”. I have yet to go inside. Unfortunately, they don’t allow photographers and I so want to photograph it myself rather than buy “postcards” of the inside.
I’ve been to both of the Taliesin houses – the one in Wisconsin and the one in Arizona – but I’ve never been in any others. I hope you go to the one near you someday, even if it’s without a camera. The experience will be worth it.
Wow what a house would love to be there exploring and shooting Lots of great captures I could spend awhile in there. Thanks for Sharing Tom
Indeed a photographers dream, I could spend hours there
Just wow, Tom!