Hart Island

by Melinda Hunt, Joel Sternfeld

This is the story of Hart Island, the Bronx, in the Long Island Sound, commonly referred to as Potter's Field. its history is more than fascinating. After the purchase of the island measuring approximately one mile long and one-eight to one-third of a mile wide, by the City in 1868, Hart Island has served as cemetery, a charge, a hospital for women, an insane asylum, and a jail. During World War II the Island was turned over to the Navy. Later it served for housing of male derelicts, as a NIKE missile base for the U.S. Army, for a narcotic rehabilitation program, and finally as a cemetery again. Today, the in mate work details is are buced from Rikers Island to perform the burials, disinterments, and maintenance of the Island. Since 1869, more than 750,000 burials have been performed. Hart Island is not open to the public Well-known New York based photographer Joel Sternfeld has created a series of Color photographs, which are complemented by installations of artist Melinda Hunt. The book represents a unique discovery, a compelling documentation of an unknown territory right on the doorstep of New York City.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction

119 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1998

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And having taken counsel, they bought with them the potter's field for a burial place for strangers." Matthew 27:7

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

I would say it's worth a million, just like the number of people buried in Potter's fields in the City of New York dating back to the 18th Century. Hart Island is the 10th such place, located in Western Long Island Sound near the Bronx.

Worth is an interesting word, and the worth of a human life is what this book is all about.

The history of Hart Island is as rich as the people buried there were poor. Nothing as of late has caused me to ponder my own existence quite like learning about Hart Island. Our human frailty just leaps off the pages. Poverty, mental illness, disability, disease, crime, predjudice --- it's all there.

One of the greatest things about this book was the testimonies and insights offered by some of the prison inmates. They are paid less than 50 cents an hour to bury the dead, but they are grateful to be outside and working. Their souls are profoundly impacted by the bodies they bury, and their resolve is strong to live life differently after they are released from jail.

The dead -- in plain pine boxes with a number scribbled on the side -- are mostly unknown, unwanted, or unclaimed, and were in just as much of a "prison" in life as the inmates are behind bars. And like the inmates, Hart Island has set them free.

The images will stay with me for a long time. Beautiful book!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my thesis work that looks at The Hart Island Project online database and the representations of grief that are uploaded by the bereaved. I was instantly drawn to Hart Island when I first learned what it was-the largest tax funded mass graveyard in North America. Yet, not many people know about this place. The work done by Melinda Hunt and her team is extraordinary. She has helped give names to the people buried on the island, and help those who have lost their connection to these people to reclaim it through the online database, and the tireless work of volunteer attorney's to ensure access to the burial sites. This book was the first step in the incredible journey to give identity to those buried, and an outlet for the bereaved to mourn their loss. There is a magical sense of closure and love in this project. This book is a photographic journey that was meant to explore a forgotten landscape in America, and it lead to so much more. Her writing is eloquent, and her photography is poignant. I highly recommend this books

[Justin Labelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully printed book. It consists of images taken with a large format camera, most made from long exposures. The combines are particularly noteworthy as the images become almost sculptural, framed by old paperwork and notes relevant nt to the island

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book 100 stars as a review, I would. It contains many high resolution photographs showing Hart Island throughout the seasons, plates of Melinda Hunt's mixed-media works (made using said photos, archival documents, and wooden constructions), an extremely informative introductory essay by Ms. Hunt, and written reflections by the inmates who perform the burials on Hart island. The photos include images of infant mass burial trenches, the abandoned reformatory that is on the island, and many more fascinating and morose subjects. The book ends up being simultaneously a work of public history and a work of public art. Highly recommended for readers interested in hidden urban history, studies of poverty and its sad consequences, public cemeteries, and the relationship between memorialization and privilege.

[Peejay(Pamela) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving photographs and history of Hart Island where the Potters Field for New York City is located.