Windows are the eyes
of a house.
Eyes are the windows
of your soul.
Your soul is a window
into eternity.
Just look.
– William Hjortsberg
Joanne Berghold’s book, Old Windows—Old Doors provides a rare glimpse into the lives of Montana’s early settlers. The book preserves weather-worn homesteads in image and verse, offering a unique appreciation for a story that fades fast into an ever-changing landscape.
Along with several reflections by several Montana poets, 47 of Joanne’s finest black and white photographs suggest the deeper significance of what seems simple and commonplace—a door, a window.
Old Windows-Old Doors is a testament to the settlers’ perseverance and the power of this open country.
“This is a wonderful book of photographs showing the powerful dust and splinters of dreams lost, dreams abandoned, and dreams replaced by other dreams and other realities.”
– Tom Murphy, Wildlife and Landscape Photographer
“Many photographers take good pictures. Good photographers make good photographs. Joanne Berghold makes good photographs in Montana, and has done so for some time. I’ve been photographing and traveling in Montana for twenty-five years now, and I often see Joanne’s photographs and wish I had made them. I guess that’s the best compliment I can pay to a fellow photographer and lover of Montana.”
– Tom Ferris, Archival Photographer, Montana Historical Society
“With compassion, commitment, and craftsmanship, Joanne Berghold captures the nostalgia of the past and the essence of the present. We are privileged to ride with her as she travels around Montana sharing with us her remarkable blend of skill and artistry.”
– Paul Dix, Photographer and author of Nicaragua: Surviving the Legacy of US Policy
“Joanne Berghold’s collection of windows and doors of early Montana raises haunting questions: who settled in these remote places, and what were their dreams? And why did they leave? Her powerful photographs stir our hearts, and fill us with a yearning to know more.”
– Richard Wheeler, Author of more than 50 historical novels and western fiction
“Joanne’s pictures remind us again of the struggles, hard work, sacrifices, and courage these families experienced in paving the way for Montana agriculture as we know it today. Thank you, Joanne, for helping preserve the heritage of the pioneering spirit of days past.”
– Rod Clark, Third generation rancher — Wilsall, MT