An Oscar-Winning Civil War Veteran?
Most reading this will never have heard of a man named Absalom Erickson.
Born in Norway on October 22, 1845, Absolom Erickson married Marie Nikkulsdotter, and they had a child. Young Absalom fought for the Union Army and somehow survived not only the Wilderness Campaign, but also the brutal battle of Shiloh in April of 1862.
Absalom died in February of 1928 in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.
Recently, I photographed Salt Spring resident Jim Erickson, who won an Oscar for the set decoration of Steven Spielberg’s biopic Lincoln (2012). For anyone who has seen Lincoln, it is patently obvious the designer and his team were into the smallest of details.
I had not seen Erickson since sometime around 1979 when both of us worked under freelance status at the CBC.
When Erickson came to my house this week, he showed great interest in old items I have lying around, asking questions about my wall paneling and the age of my home. He even remarked that the preliminary Fuji Instant film photograph I took of him was reminiscent of the wet plates and tintypes of U.S. Civil War soldiers.
Erickson leafed through my books featuring photographs of the Civil War. Much to my surprise, he recognized some of the men and even knew their first names. Most would guess Erickson did an enormous amount of research for Lincoln. I’d say so.
I asked him about the glass plates with which Lincoln’s young son was obsessed. I asked about the photographer, John Gardner, who had taken those pictures. There was something about Erickson’s answer that made it seem as though the two had met.
While at my house, Erickson accidentally locked his keys in his truck. With a coat hanger, he fished them out in a record time that would have amazed even the best of car thieves. He’s mechanically inclined with a keen mind, eschewing computers and ancillary stuff.
I even heard rumors that near the Lincoln set, Jim Erickson erected a tent in which he prevented anyone from entering. In that structure, was it Jim? Or was Jim, for the purposes of his career, channeling Absalom Erickson?
For his portrait with me, Erickson wore modern clothes. Yet they were arranged in the manner of a Union Army soldier’s — one who would have survived the elements of the Wilderness Campaign or the Battle of Shiloh.
Originally published at blog.alexwaterhousehayward.com.
