‘Midnight in the Garden’ Telfair Museum
Written by Colleen Miller/Photos by Clarissa Wells/Illustrations by Lily Chamber
Don’t judge a book by its cover. Despite this popular saying, the cover of a novel is still significant. After all, it is the reader’s first impression of the novel.
The image of the “Bird Girl” statue depicted on the cover of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” novel and film has become an iconic symbol of both the story and the city of Savannah.
Created in 1936 by sculptor Sylvia Shaw, this statue was originally purchased by Lucy Boyd Trosdal for their family burial plot in Bonaventure Cemetery. It wasn’t until photographer Jack Leigh took the photograph now seen on the novel’s cover that the statue became famous.
“Jack Leigh received the commission to take a photograph for the cover and obtained permission to remain in the cemetery after closing to take photographs. As the light was ebbing on the second day of shooting Leigh came upon Bird Girl and took the photograph. He then spent many hours in the darkroom manipulating the image, dodging and burning areas to achieve the moody iconic photograph, entitled ‘Midnight’,” said Harry DeLorme, Senior Curator of Education at the Telfair Museums. “Leigh felt so strongly about the image that it was the only photograph he submitted for the cover…”.
Unfortunately, as the novel and film rose in popularity, so did the number of tourists visiting the burial site of the Trosdal Family. In 1997, the statue was removed from Bonaventure Cemetery and placed in the care of the Telfair Museums. Now, anyone can view the statue and learn about its history at the Telfair Academy.
How did “Bird Girl” become so iconic? “For one, it’s a marvelous photograph, rich in depth and range of values. It perfectly connects with the book’s title in the sense that Bird Girl’s symmetrical pose and balanced bowls, originally intended for water or bird feed, resemble the scales of justice. Leigh used techniques to make Bird Girl seem monumental, larger than in actuality. Bonaventure’s setting is also obviously a key element in episodes in the book. The cemetery has been synonymous with Savannah for more than 150 years. It’s a mysterious and evocative place that has fascinated writers, painters and photographers for generations, from Sierra Club founder John Muir to photographers who produced hundreds of stereo views of Bonaventure and its oak canopy in the late nineteenth century,” said DeLorme.
To view this well-known statue for yourself, stop by the Telfair Academy any day or visit their upcoming exhibit, “Before Midnight: Bonaventure and the Bird Girl”, opening April 12, 2019. This exhibit will feature “Bird Girl” alongside art inspired by Bonaventure Cemetery.
For more information about museum hours or this exhibit, visit www.telfair.org.
Edited by Nick Thomsen
