Gezicht op het meer bij Grasmere c. 1857 - 1867

This small photograph of a lake near Grasmere was made by Garnett & Sproat. The image speaks to the rise of photography, and it’s function within nineteenth-century culture. We know that in the Victorian era, Grasmere was part of the Lake District, an area in England that was becoming a popular tourist destination. The Lake District was also home to the poet William Wordsworth, who wrote extensively about nature. The image therefore creates meaning through visual codes and historical associations that point to an appreciation of the natural world and the sublime. It speaks to institutional histories, like the rise of tourism. Understanding the artwork in context requires research into photographic processes, as well as travel and leisure patterns of the time. Art is contingent on social and institutional contexts.