"Staten Island Ferry" by Thomas Henry
On a recent visit to Virginia Beach, Virginia my husband and I decided to visit the Chrysler Museum. We had met there 28 years ago on July 28, 1982. We decided to try to identify the exact spot he was standing when we first spoke. We were both single and were attending the Surrealistic Film the museum was offering that evening. The title of the film was Un Chien (Strange Passion). The doors to the museum theatre hadn't opened yet and he was standing there studying a painting in the lobby. I asked him what was so compelling about that particular painting. He shared it reminded him of a Walt Whitman poem, "Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry." As they say, "The Rest is History!"
We were not able to locate the painting on our recent visit but we were told to contact the museum librarian. Upon our return home, we sent her an email and she was able to determine from their archive records that the above painting "Staten Island Ferry" by Thomas Henry 1936 was in the exact spot on the day we met. She was kind enough to also send us the program for the series and an ad that ran in the local newspaper that had inspired each of us to attend.
We like to think that was not an accidental meeting but part of our life plan!
28 years later, it was fun to revisit that moment in time.
