Hamilton and Burr are, apparently, a couple of guys in American history who stood on platforms and shot each other. Also, they were made of bronze.

Or so you might assume if you looked at this picture and got all the wrong information from it. This is in the Richmond Museum of Culture and HIstory which is of course worth a visit.

In the actual museum they are placed a distance apart. Hamilton is the one wearing spectacles. I also flipped the Burr one so it is reversed - he is shooting with his left hand here. Duels seem pretty stupid these days and clearly a thing that was going to lead to tears before bedtime. I've never seen the musical and at the prices they charge I'm going to have to wait until the Pixar version comes out before I do. So this is the next best thing. The light was low and one or two photos were slightly blurred but were used. Even in metal it is a sad story. Of course the moment chosen by the artist is the one before (or during?) the shots being fired. What a difference it would have made at some other point, even at the moment Hamilton was putting on his glasses. But this is what we would expect the statues to show and therefore surprise is partially defeated at the very outset.

What does it get out of a joiner rendition? I'm sorry you asked. It puts me on the spot. Perhaps the visual space around them might be the thing to wonder about. The gunfight is a linear thing. They share the same horizontal space. Here there is a buffeting to that simple expectation.

Happy Thanksgiving. This is the week of the Thursday celebration. Turkey shoot.