Here is a very interesting and hard-to-find series of Wallace Nutting photographs. The photograph on the left is "The Capture Of A Red Coat" studio # 2902. Nutting illustrated this picture on page 140 of his 1922 book, Vermont Beautiful. The photo on the right is "Skirmishing" studio number 46.

Because Wallace Nutting's personal notes were destroyed after his death we don't have the luxury of knowing his intent with respect to pictures and titles. But one thing my research reveals is that titles to Wallace Nutting photographs accurately describe the scene. In this series of photogaphs it becomes apparent that when Wallace Nutting viewed the scene of the woman opening the gate to allow the 'Red Coat' in, he saw it as 'the capture of a red coat'. And when he viewed the scene of the woman and the 'Red Coat' divided by the closed gate, he saw it as a 'skirmish'.

What I believe supports this supposition is the third photograph in this series titled "Ambush Of A Red Coat". In this scene the 'Red Coat' is approaching from the far left, about 10 feet away from the lady who is still standing behind the closed gate. The title suggest that when Wallace Nutting viewed this scene he supposed the woman was about to 'ambush' the 'Red Coat'. All very poetic and whimsical but Wallace Nutting was a poetic and whimsical man.

"Ambush Of A Red Coat", (no known studio number), was made in the landscape format showing more of the front of the house including a large oak tree that stands to the right behind the fence, the branches of which frame the entire top portion of the picture. The result is beautiful and clearly shows that Nutting had an eye for landscape composition as well as colonial scenes.