For the longest time, when I was much younger, I thought Eric Enstrom s Grace was a portrait of someone in my family.
Growing up, I saw this iconic work every time I d visit my Uncle Charlie s house in Russellville and then my grandfather had a copy, too.
The man in the photograph whose name is Charles Wilden bears a resemblance to members of my dad s side of the family. I thought he was a great-great or something. I guess I could ve ASKED, couldn t I? Well, since it wasn t top of mind when I was a kid, I didn t.
But I keep learning new things about Grace. For example, it is the state photograph of Minnesota, where Enstrom took the picture. And then there s the story that was sent to me that recounts a visit from Wilden to Enstrom s Bovey, Minnesota studio in 1920, or perhaps 1918. As all great photographers do, Enstrom recognized a quality in Wilden s face that he HAD to capture on film. His request to have the traveling salesman Wilden s profession pose as if in prayer was