Neilson & Barbara Brown |
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| Neils and Babs Brown were Easterners, like Ned Scott and many of his associates, who decided in the timeframe of the ’30’s to migrate West and create new lives. The Browns bought an 1800 acre cattle ranch called the Buena Vista located on the outskirts of Nogales, Arizona. Portions of the boundary of this large ranch bordered Mexico. They built a typical hacienda in the style of the area, surrounded it with an ocotillo fence, and made a very decent life for themselves and their two sons. Neils Brown was later to become an Arizona State Senator who served his constituents with distinction. Ned Scott and his new wife found themselves visiting the Browns and their beautiful ranch as often as they could during the latter half of the ’30’s and early ’40’s. Ned’s associates also wended their way to the ranch from time to time. Wonderful parties were held there. It was the southern anchor for their wanderings around Arizona in those days. Always stimulating, the ranch provided reinforcement for a new style of living and looking at the world. Ned Scott photographed the ranch views and the interiors and exteriors of the hacienda. He also created portraits of the Brown family. All these images reflect a renewed purpose and zest for life which had previously eluded him in New York. The friendships were strong and lasting. As 1942 dawned on a nation newly at war, Ned and Gwladys approached the Browns to serve as godparents and protectors for their newborn daughter, just 10 months old. Ned had just been selected by Orson Welles to serve as still photographer for Carnival, a film set on location in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. He was to be out of the country for an unspecified period of time, and things were very uncertain. |
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