Lost Maryland Mansion
By Rebecca Drew
HAUNTING images have revealed the once luxurious interior of a Maryland mansion that has been left to rot after its wealthy owners moved on.
From crumbling walls, flaking paint and peeling wallpaper the mansion is a far cry from its former self. In stark contrast, some pictures show bedrooms with fully made beds and paintings still taking pride of place over the fireplace in one room.
In one photograph, a lone suitcase sits abandoned in a decadent bay window.
The spooky pictures were taken at a mansion in Maryland, USA by chief creative officer, Hal S. Edelson (52) from Philadelphia, USA. To take the shots, Hal used a Nikon D800, a brand he has used for seven years.
“This is a beautiful mansion from the eighteen-hundreds, it was occupied by a wealthy family until just a few years ago,” said Hal.
“The house was abandoned after a falling out among the family members.
“While much of the furniture and other personal articles were left on site which is an incredible find in itself, the house has fallen into disrepair as seen by the peeling wallpaper and loose floorboards, it makes for an incredible paradox.
“I’ve always enjoyed architecture, art and history, shooting abandoned and historic buildings allows me to capture these once proud places and show something not everyone gets to see on a regular basis.
“It also acts as an archive for what the building represented at the time I shot it.”
Hal says that he loves seeing personal items that have been left behind in abandoned places as it helps the viewer connect with abandoned places.
“I love finding and photographing personal items in places which allows me to humanise the scene and convey strong emotional impact to those viewing my work,” he added.
“There is beauty all around us, even in an abandoned decaying building and decay is a part of life.
“There is also strong emotion to take away from the places I shoot, these places represent once proud industries, places where people studied, worked, lived and sometimes died.
“My goal is to connect viewers with the buildings in strong emotional ties be it happiness, laughter, sadness, fear, sympathy and empathy, a connection we can all make to the building and its former inhabitants.”
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