The Alvin Coburn autochrome photo of Twain was taken Dec 21, 1908 and I
spent a great deal of time tracking down the accurate colors so it could be
reproduced correctly on the cover of the latest MTJ. The colors used are
based on the surviving robe (at Hannibal), the color guide supplied me by
the original makers of the robe, and some other sources. Tom Tenney and I
think the colors shown on the cover of MTJ are as close to the original as
can be had, keeping in mind that over time the original negative and the
robe itself could have undergone chemical changes as well as exposure to UV.
In addition, the image was backlit from window light and this created a
glare on some surfaces and dark shadows in the lower portion of the image.
The result is what you probably would have seen if you had been standing
there when the photo was taken. Tom Tenney and I got a little obsessive
about getting these colors right. I sent Tom my camera-ready copy of the
text and the other photos last September, but there was some delay as Tom
got caught up other MTJ issues, and then our color research further delayed
publication. The Hartford Memorial has the original Coburn glass plate, and
I again thank them for permission to reproduce this fine image.

BTW, I hope my article makes for fun and informative reading for those
excited by the 100th anniversay of Stormfield. It's a "virtual tour" created
by using forty-one photos from my own archives (most of them previously
unpublished), as well as the original floorplans and plat map of the house
and grounds.  I also include a guessing game at the end using twelve more
photos (some previosuly unpublished) from the Mark Twain Papers at Berkeley.
I plotted the location and field of vision for each photo on the original
architect's floorplans and plat maps so that the reader can trace them in
sequence and gain a sense of the physical feel of Stormfield. I also
describe the physical structure and construction of Stormfield in more
detail than ever before, as part of my effort to create the physical
presence of the place. My goal was not to retell the story of events that
took place at Stormfield but instead to present the physical presence of
this home now long lost, so that readers of Ham Hill and Karen Lystra can
now visualize where all of those events at the end of Twain's life actually
took place. I am extremely grateful to the ever-helpful folks at the Mark
Twain Papers, Hartford, Hannibal, and elsewhere who assisted me in my
research, and special thanks to Tom Tenney who will happily sell anyone a
copy of the MTJ to anyone who contacts him.

PS-- John Davis got my name wrong. It's Kevin, not Kenneth. My older brother
is Kenneth and my younger brother is Kyle, but I have long answered to both
names when my elderly parents get confused, so no harm done.

Kevin Mac Donnell
Austin TX