Belle Camp 1919: A Nostalgic Glimpse into Bellingrath's Past

By Tom McGehee
Museum Home Director

Explore the rich history and artistic heritage of Bellingrath Gardens & Home through the portal of a captivating oil painting depicting Belle Camp as it stood in 1919.

The Rustic Roots of Bellingrath

Visitors arriving for a tour of the Bellingrath Home are greeted by an evocative oil painting of Belle Camp, showcasing the main cabin around 1919. On the pier below, Walter Bellingrath’s fishing guide, Frank Woodard, stands as a testament to the era’s simplicity. This scene captures the essence of the camp in its most rustic form, years before it would bloom with azaleas and buzz with tourists.

Walter Bellingrath’s Vision Brought to Life

It was perhaps a sense of nostalgia that prompted Walter Bellingrath to commission the painting in 1944. The artist behind the portraits of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath that hang in the Living Room, Jay Wesley Jacobs, was initially approached for the task. However, his specialization in portraits led him to recommend a fellow artist for this landscape piece.

Phillip H. Giddens: The Artist Behind the Canvas

Jacobs contacted a fellow artist named Phillip H. Giddens, who on May 9, 1944, wrote Walter Bellingrath “concerning a painting that you wish to have made from a photograph of your gardens before its present development.” He added, “I have painted a number of landscapes, and Jay may have told you that the Library of Congress in Washington and the British Museum in London have collected some of my drawings and etchings.”

Like Jacobs, Giddens practiced from a studio in Birmingham. Like Walter Bellingrath, he was a native of Georgia, born in 1898. In 1920, he graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in architecture.

A Legacy Cemented in Art and Architecture

Giddens’ architectural studies in France and his service as a camouflage designer with the U.S. Corps of Engineers during World War II added depth to his artistic perspective. With studios in New York and Palm Beach, his art was celebrated in renowned institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.

An Enduring Tribute at Bellingrath

The canvas, delivered to Mr. Bellingrath in September of 1944, has been a cherished part of the Bellingrath collection ever since. Walter Bellingrath’s approval of the nostalgic piece is a sentiment shared by many who visit and are transported back to a simpler time at Belle Camp.

Phillip Giddens passed away in 1974, but his legacy, encapsulated in the painting of Belle Camp, continues to live on at Bellingrath Gardens and Home.

Visit Bellingrath.org to learn more about the history, tours, and the timeless beauty of the Bellingrath Home & Gardens. Experience the tranquility of the past and the splendor of the present in one of Alabama’s most beautiful historical sites.