Dunraven Cliffs - Low Tide 1853 - 1856

John Dillwyn Llewelyn captured "Dunraven Cliffs - Low Tide" using the waxed paper negative process, a relatively new technology in his era. Llewelyn, a Welshman, partook in photography during a time when the medium was rapidly evolving. This photograph places us on the rugged Glamorgan coast, where we encounter an intersection of nature, industry, and social identity. The cliffs themselves, stoic and layered, tell a geological story. The figures atop the cliffs, dwarfed by the landscape, remind us of humanity's small scale within the grand scheme of nature. These cliffs weren't merely scenic vistas; they were part of a working landscape, a site of both labor and leisure. The very act of capturing this scene through photography speaks to Victorian society's growing interest in documenting and classifying the world around them. The aesthetic here leans towards the sublime, evoking both awe and a sense of insignificance.