Brug over de Braan nabij Dunkeld c. 1850 - 1880

Editor: Here we have "Bridge over the Braan near Dunkeld," taken by James Valentine sometime between 1850 and 1880. It's a photograph showing a stone bridge over a river. It feels so calm and still... like a hidden, secluded place. What do you make of it? Curator: The photographic process itself interests me greatly here. Think about the labour involved in creating this image. Wet plate collodion was likely the process, meaning the photographer had to be incredibly mobile, setting up a darkroom tent to prepare and develop the plates immediately after exposure. This bridge, the river... they become commodities. Editor: Commodities? In what way? Curator: These early landscape photographs, printed onto card stock, weren’t just art. They were also souvenirs, affordable travel experiences for a burgeoning middle class. People consumed these images to experience a place they may never actually visit. It’s the democratization of landscape viewing through industrialized image production. Notice the serial production of the card, designed for mass consumption. Editor: I didn’t think of it that way, but you're right, it's almost like early tourism marketing! It makes me think about the relationship between nature and consumer culture even back then. Curator: Precisely! Consider the environmental impact of early photography, too – the chemical waste from development, the felling of trees for paper. Every image has its cost, far beyond the monetary value. Editor: That's fascinating. I came looking at the peaceful scene and walked away thinking about its material reality. Thank you!