This latest installment of the DMDE takes the reader through 1844 and the sale of Montpelier, the Madisons’ estate in Orange County, Virginia. In 1844 Dolley finally realized that her debts (and those of her son, John Payne Todd) had become too great for her to continue running the property; her only choice was to sell. This she did to a Richmond merchant with local family connections, Henry Wood Moncure. After 1844 Dolley would never again return to Virginia. As of this installment the reader has now twenty editorial essays on topics ranging from the enslaved community at Montpelier to the nineteenth-century “autographomania” that led collectors to seek out James and Dolley Madison’s signatures. Among the new biographical identifications are entries on nearly twenty members of the Montpelier slave community. Also new are three high-resolution images of Montpelier survey plats from the Orange County Courthouse that accompany an editorial essay by Ann L. Miller.

The images in the gallery below are scans of plats based on surveys in preparation for the sale of the Montpelier estate. The largest plat, covering two pages, includes the entire plantation and immediate surroundings.

Forthcoming installments of the DMDE will focus on Dolley’s life after her return to Washington, DC, locally honored and publicly feted, while privately still struggling to keep herself financially afloat.

The nearly hour-long conversation touches on the terrific diversity of the Chesapeake region, as well as the authors’ hope that people can see past the political issues, which in the nearby metropolises of Washington and Baltimore tend to dominate all discussions of the bay, and enjoy what is still an awesome display of nature. Davidson also addresses the difficulty of his highly specialized brand of photography, which finds him in aircraft ranging from planes at 8,500 feet to low-flying helicopters slowed down to 40 knots per hour. Most people will be surprised to find it really is simply a matter of a harnessed human leaning out of the open door and snapping away. (Trade secret for butterflies in the stomach: eat a bagel before you go up, it soaks up the stomach acid.) In addition to the broadcast itself, the episode’s web page includes a video showing him at work above the Chesapeake. The page also offers a gallery of photos from the book, complete with captions.

Davidson is very active online, keeping both a blog and a state-of-the-art professional site, which includes an extensive portfolio.

Chesapeake: The Aerial Photography of Cameron Davidson is available now.