Oxford from the Abingdon Road before 1912

This photograph of Oxford from the Abingdon Road was made by Henry W. Taunt, probably using a large format camera and glass plate negative. What strikes me is the way the composition is constructed through the use of light and dark. The road itself cuts diagonally across the frame, leading the eye towards the distant skyline of Oxford, which is rendered as a soft blur of gray. Look at the textures, the rough, overgrown verge in the foreground is sharply defined. See how the artist captures the contrast between the untamed natural world and the man-made structures in the distance? The surface of the print itself is smooth, with a slight sheen. In some ways, this feels similar to the work of someone like Eugène Atget, with that same interest in documenting the changing face of the city. It’s interesting to think of photography as a way of preserving a specific moment in time.