#62 A City A Story Photo Weekly Contest #17 - The Story of Swan House in Atlanta 亚特兰大天鹅庄园的历史故事

Constructed in 1928, the Swan House you see here in my photos was the home for Edward and Emily Inman in Atlanta, Georgia. Today, the house is part of the Atlanta History Center and is maintained as a historic house museum.

The Inmans was the wealthiest family in Georgia in the post-Civil War “New South” era. They made a fortune from cotton business and by investing on banking, transportation and real estate. Edward Inman also served in several local elected positions.

这些照片里的老房子是我在美国佐治亚州的亚特兰大历史中心拍的。这座天鹅屋建于1928年，是爱德华和艾米莉夫妇的住宅。爱德华所在的英曼家族是美国内战后“新南方”时代最富有的人家。通过棉花经纪，还有对银行、交通运输和地产的投资，英曼家族积累了大量财富。不仅经商，爱德华还当选了本地的官员。

He and his wife Emily hired an architectural firm to design a house on a land of 28 acres in Buckhead where they could grow old together. The principal architect Philip Schutze drew on classical elements as inspiration for this house and its gardens. He adapted Italian and English classical styles to accommodate the living of that time. This beautiful mansion was completed at the end of the Jazz Age, a period of wealth, freedom and exuberance, and a time when new styles of music and dance emerged. Just a few months later in 1929, the Great Depression started.

And it’s followed by a disaster for the family. In 1931, the husband died at 49. Fairy tale does not really exist, and life has to go on. After that, his wife Emily, a suffragette and society matriarch, lived there with their son and ran the house, the finances and the family until 1965. The following year, the house and grounds were acquired by the Atlanta Historical Society.

20世纪20年代的美国正处于“爵士时代” ，这是一个财富丰盈、自由奔放的时代，这是一个新式舞蹈和音乐不断涌现而出的时代。完工于1928年末的天鹅屋，勉强抓住了这一时期的尾巴。可惜好景不长，几个月后，美国便开始了“经济大萧条”时期。两年后的1931年，厄运也降临到了爱德华和艾米莉的小家庭，丈夫49岁便突然离开人世。这对夫妇原打算在占地28公顷的天鹅庄园里白头偕老，怎奈现实终究不是童话，王子和公主无法再一起幸福终老。然而，生活还是要继续。妻子艾米莉，这位走在时代前列的妇女参政论者，开始独当一面，操持家中一切大小事务，带着儿子和一帮佣人继续在天鹅屋住到了1965年。艾米莉去世后的第二年，亚特兰大历史协会收购了整个天鹅庄园，后来又经过修复，成为历史房屋博物馆向公众展出。

I toured the house and grounds, and discovered the many original furnishings as well as the Schutze arts collection. Except for a wide range of old objects from Europe, there was also a big black screen from East Asia (see the pictures). It’s truly an interesting experience for me to explore the house’s four floors, soaking in all the history.

爱德华夫妇聘请的主要建筑师菲利普· 舒茨将意大利和英国建筑的古典元素加以创新，运用到天鹅屋和花园的设计上。我在整个老房子的四层楼间穿梭，细细观赏这些原汁原味的古旧家具物件和建筑师收集的艺术品，其中除了很多来自旧大陆欧洲的物品，还有来自东方的装饰屏风（如图）。

I met the historical characters in the big house who shared with me their own stories at that time. They were performed by costumed interpreters. Mr. Inman, a man full of character, expressed his opinions about 1920s business and politics. The architect Philip Shutze showed me his decorative arts collection in the basement. Ruby Ross Wood from New York was decorating the whole house for the family. The African American chauffeur drove Mr. Inman and shared a racing seat next to his employer. The maid, Emma Jean told me about her work and her daily life. Pretty cool, right? It felt like a journey to the past in a time machine! :)

老房子里还有装扮成主人公的工作人员给参观者讲述当年各自的故事，就像乘坐时光机器穿越到上世纪20年代，是不是很有意思？“英曼先生”是个个形鲜明的角色，他结合自己的经历，向我表达了自己对20年代美国商业、政治的看法；“建筑师菲利普”带我去地下室参观了他搜集的装饰艺术品；来自纽约的“露比”负责装扮整个天鹅屋；“非裔美国司机”平时开车接送“英曼先生”，赛车时就坐在主人旁边；“女佣艾玛”向我描述了她的日常生活和劳作。

At the kitchen door, I discovered lots of tools for cooking, cleaning, dusting, polishing and washing. The maids, gardener, butler, chauffeur and other servants used to enter the house from here. This kind of lifestyle based on servants was characteristic of Atlanta’s elite during the 1920s and 1930s. Like walking around in a movie setting, I took this chance to peek into their daily chores inside and outside the house.

And this old mansion was indeed used to film some scenes, such as the 2013 film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and 2 years later in its sequel, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2. Looks familiar now? :)

在厨房的门后，我还发现一堆烹饪器具和清洁除尘、洗涤、抛光等用品。这里是管家、司机、园丁和女佣们的入口。这些帮佣在上世纪20到30年代的亚特兰大富人家庭里很常见。我感觉自己仿佛身在电影场景之中，想象着这些人物当年忙里忙外的生活琐细。而这座天鹅庄园还真的被用来拍摄过电影，比如2013年的电影《饥饿游戏2：星火燎原》和2015年的续集《饥饿游戏：自由幻梦》。如果你看过这两部电影，应该会觉得这座老房子很眼熟吧？=）

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So that’s it for today’s story about Swan House. Hope you enjoy this journey through time and space back to the Roaring Twenties of American history. Look forward to your jazzy comments! ;)

All content by @itchyfeetdonica. My post is inspired by @aaronli’s “A City A Story” Photo Contest. Check out his page and show him some love! And show me some love too! Thank you and until next time. :D

好了，今天关于老房子天鹅庄园的故事就分享到这里，希望你们喜欢这段穿越时空回到美国“咆哮的二十年代”的旅程！欢迎留言评论。谢谢关注！