The Bleak House Knoxville has become one of our most favorite photography venues to use for sessions. Conveniently located off Kingston Pike, it is an antebellum, Classical Revival style house and is on the National Register of Historic Places. We have shot several sessions at the Bleak House during every season of the year, and it is beautiful year round. We most love “the white room” with all the windows. It provides such a beautiful and classic feel for about any kind of portrait as well as an amazing “rain plan” with dependable light.
We already have plans to return to the Bleak House Knoxville for Spring photography sessions and plan to announce our dates and booking information soon! The gardens are over 100 years old and are lovely during the spring with the pebble sidewalks, gazebo, fountains, and blooming daffodils. The age of the gardens is its beauty so there’s no need for elaborate props! Check out some of last year’s spring portraits from the Bleak House.
You can schedule a tour to see the Bleak house for yourself! Here’s some interesting information about the house & its history:
Bleak House (a.k.a. Confederate Memorial Hall and) is lovingly maintained and cared for by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Chapter 89. Bleak House was built as a wedding present for Louise Franklin and Robert Houston Armstrong. It was designed as a Tuscany-style Villa and named Bleak House after the famous Charles Dickens novel. Yes–they loved Charles Dickens THAT much! During the War Between the States (Civil War), this beautiful home served as the headquarters for the beloved Confederate Lt. General James Longstreet and Maj. General Lafayette McLaws during the Siege of Knoxville from 17 November 1863- 4 December 1863. The house still bears whispers from the past, visible through the bullet holes in the outside, as well as other fascinating remnants you’ll find on our tours! During the Seige of Knoxville, Confederate sharpshooters harassed the troops of Union General William Sanders from the tower of the house. Most historians concur that these sharpshooters inflicted the fatal wound that killed Sanders. A drawing, sketched by an unknown soldier of these three sharpshooters can still be seen today inside the tower walls. Nowadays, the home serves a decidedly more peaceful and happy role as one of Knoxville’s premier wedding venues and the home of Chapter 89 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
