The Charterhouse 1850 - 1919

This stereograph of the Charterhouse, part of a series titled 'European Scenery' invites us to consider 19th-century European identity. In this period, photography emerged not only as a form of documentation, but also as a tool in shaping cultural narratives. The Charterhouse, with its history as a monastery, a Tudor mansion, and later an almshouse and school, embodies layers of English history. Stereographs like this one played a role in constructing and disseminating ideas about national heritage, class, and social order. The choice to represent this site speaks to the Victorian fascination with historical continuity. The Charterhouse embodies the weight of the past, a past that was often romanticized, even as industrialization rapidly transformed the present. Its stoic presence raises questions about who is included in this vision of Englishness, and whose stories are overlooked in the grand narrative of nationhood.