Shelves of dusty books line the walls of a dark room staged as the head surgeon’s office. Ghostly faces awash in sepia stare through time, the gilded photo frames glinting in the gloomy room. Decanters half full of brandy and bourbon (or maybe just tinted water or tea) sit quietly atop a large bureau, next to a sheath of scalpels that look real enough to slice through skin. It’s cool as a cave inside Richmond’s grand old Laburnum House, reimagined into a hospital sheltering Union soldiers during the Civil War. The cast and crew of the upcoming PBS drama series Mercy Street scurry about, setting shots and rehearsing lines as production lumbers into its third month.
1 of 17
Photos by Samantha Willis
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
The Laburnum House is the location of Mercy Street's hospital set.
2 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
As Richmond becomes the backdrop of more and more films, it's not unusual to see signs like these around town.
3 of 17
Photos by Samantha Willis
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Cast and crew trailers sit grouped in a lot, as the condor, responsible for perfecting the set's outside lighting, is raised.
4 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
5 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Veteran actress Cherry Jones, in full period costume as superintendent of army nurses Dorothea Dix, walks across the lot after finishing up a scene.
6 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
This actor portrays a wounded soldier, recuperating at the hospital.
7 of 17
On Set: A Walk through Mercy Street (Photos by Samantha Willis)
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Hats, hats, beautiful hats! Most of the hats in Mercy Street were made by Petersburg specialty shop, IGNATIUS HATS.
8 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
9 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Here's a sketch of a dress worn by one of the show's actresses, including a fabric swatch.
10 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
The inspiration behind some of the female characters' costumes.
11 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
The design team researched nurse ensembles of the period to make the costumes as realistic as possible.
12 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
13 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Designers made dresses from patterns in this set of actual Godey's Lady's Books from the 1800s.
14 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Amy Andrews Harrell leads the costume design team. Here, she shows us a vintage vestlet worn by a female character.
15 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Mercy Street special effects wizards Katie Middleton and Ashley Fetterman. That poor arm! (Photo by Tina Eshleman)
16 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Nuns, nurses, doctors and other actors line up at the food service table. No starving artists here. (Photo by Tina Eshleman)
17 of 17
On the Set: a Walk through Mercy Street
Actors Peter Slag and Alex Schwartz play wounded soldiers in the show. Watch for more Mercy Street coverage in Richmond magazine and check Richmondmagazine.com soon for more Mercy Street photos and video interviews. (Photo by Tina Eshleman)
Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (The Returned, Smashed, The Spectacular Now) as nurse Mary Phinney and Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother, Liberal Arts, Broadway’s Disgraced) as Dr. Jed Foster, Mercy Street is set to debut on PBS in January 2016. It’s the first series of its kind to air on the network in over 10 years. When asked what the show is about, co-creator and Executive Producer Lisa Wolfinger (Desperate Crossing, The Untold Story of the Mayflower) answers, “ Love, changing social constraints and the impact of war on the lives of everyday people.”
Lisa Wolfinger
Lisa Wolfinger, executive producer and co-creator of PBS series Mercy Street, sat down with Richmond magazine to discuss the show and why it's a fresh new take on an old story. (Photo courtesy of Ezra Wolfinger)
A student of history and a celebrated documentarian, Wolfinger was inspired to create the show after reading the memoir of Mary Phinney, a New Englander who served as a nurse during the War Between the States. Wolfinger describes Phinney, a feisty woman who boldly thrust herself into a world dominated by men, as “vibrant and funny, really funny.”
Phinney is just one of the leading ladies of the series, which is set in Alexandria in the spring of 1862. Wolfinger says the series features several female characters who depict the real-life “sheros” who served as volunteer nurses during the Civil War. Cherry Jones plays Dorothea Dix, the superintendent of army nurses during the war.
As the production headed into its final week, Richmond magazine talked with Wolfginer about what made Richmond the perfect spot to film the show, why now is the ideal time for Mercy Street to come forth and how Richmond’s critical role in Civil War history inspired the show’s creators. We also took a behind-the-scenes tour of the set, met with the head of the show’s costume design team, and learned how the crew transforms Richmond, Virginia 2015 into Richmond, Virginia 1862 every day. Watch for more coverage in Richmond magazine and check Richmondmagazine.com for Mercy Street photos and video interviews.
