Here’s another delightful image from the archives at the Samuel Center, recently scanned and enhanced by Bill Hecht.  The image prompts lots of questions:  why was this photographed?  What relationship existed between the two gents way up high on the capstones and the couple in the carriage?  And of course, where is this? 

Keep in mind that I reduce the resolution of these photos so that they’re easier to manipulate on the blog.  I see a younger man to the left and an older one to the right.  They seem comfortable sitting at a height that might cause serious injury or worse if they fell. 

To my non-equestrian eyes, there horses seem well-matched.  As a person born in the second half of the 20th century, I’ve no idea what this carriage is called or what they type might reveal about the occupants.  What kinds of carriages were used on the rutted dirt roads of the time in what I’d assume is upstate New York.  Here’s someone’s poster of carriage types, but I’m sure sure that poster reliable.

My first thought upon seeing the image above was that it might be the culvert under the Canal east of Medina.  I took the photo below of the south end of the culvert back in October 2014, as my favorite tugboat passed overhead.

Here’s a 1905 image of the same culvert as seen from the north side.  

Is it the same culvert or not?  Why do you think it’s the same one or a different one?

Here’s more on the Canal Society and its collections.