Roof Tops Charleston c. 1926

Elizabeth O'Neill Verner etched "Roof Tops Charleston," capturing more than just a cityscape. The steeple looms, a familiar symbol piercing the sky, beckoning us beyond the quotidian, a reaching for something higher. This reaching spire echoes the obelisks of ancient Egypt or the minarets of Islamic architecture. These are visual assertions of faith and authority. Notice how the bare branches twist and reach, mirroring the steeple's striving form. One cannot help but draw parallels with the Tree of Life, a motif stretching back to ancient Mesopotamia, symbolizing life's interconnectedness. Across time, the steeple's sharp form has endured, transforming from religious marker to civic declaration. It calls from the subconscious a connection to the eternal. A link between the earthly and the divine. See how it resurfaces, adapts, and speaks anew.