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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Eighty-five: On Tour – cruising the Mississippi from Memphis to the Gulf > Homage, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, 2012
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30-NOV-2012

Homage, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, 2012

Before beginning our Mississippi River tour, I spent a day in Memphis in order to photography a cultural phenomenon known as Graceland. Built in 1939, this white columned mansion ten miles from downtown Memphis became the home of the singer Elvis Presley in 1957 until his death in 1977. Today it is the prime tourist attraction in Memphis, drawing over a half million visitors a year. I have little interest in either Presley or his music, but I always enjoy photographing quirky, incongruous subject matter. I was sure I would find it at Graceland and I did. For many visitors, the place offers a quasi-religious experience. I followed a long line of Presley Pilgrims as they snaked their way through a self-guided tour along the many corridors of Graceland. The building includes a museum containing hundreds of artifacts, paintings, records, costumes, and awards. Here, a woman pauses before a Presley portrait. Hands clasped, she follows the tour’s progress on headphones. She seems almost at prayer. I isolated her in darkness by spot metering on the bright painting. Her white shoes repeat the brilliant whites in Presley’s costume.

FujiFilm X10
1/30s f/2.0 at 7.1mm iso250 full exif

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Phil Douglis03-Jan-2013 21:14
Yes, Graceland is a cultural phenomenon -- a house elevated to iconic status, and all because of a man who sang songs
a half century ago. You are right -- visitors here bring attitudes ranging from curiosity to obsession.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)03-Jan-2013 19:50
How we elevate our "matinee idols" into icons and, in some cases, obsessions. Graceland is an example of this cultural phenomenon, as is the reverence depicted in your photo.
Phil Douglis01-Jan-2013 04:25
The vast majority of visitors seemed to be in their 50s and 60s. I wonder if the Presley Mystique will still be around thirty or forty years from now?
Tim May01-Jan-2013 01:05
I like the age of the woman - she seems like she might have been around in Elvis' hey-day.
Phil Douglis31-Dec-2012 03:02
It is the scale of the painting that makes the point you are talking about here, Carol. It is almost life sized, and hangs at least a foot off the ground. Visitors gaze upwards, and many seem to be in awe or in prayer. Presley is still worshipped by many of the visitors here. They often come to Graceland to relive a moment or two from their own lives, and many visitors are quite reverential. Sound is an important part of the experience here, as well -- everyone is listening to an audio tour over headphones. They hear little stories about what they may be looking at, and Elvis himself is always singing in the background.
Carol E Sandgren31-Dec-2012 01:54
Interesting how she assumes a prayer position with her hands folded as she has them, as if praying to her obvious idol. I like how she gazes up at the likeness as if he is still real. I have not been to Graceland but I see you are correct in stating for many visitors it is a solemnly religious experience. She is positioned low in the frame and Presley is much larger and higher, suggesting also that this seems to be the case, at least for this particular visitor and fan.
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