Gezicht op Loch Coruisk op het eiland Skye before 1868

This is Stephen Thompson's "Gezicht op Loch Coruisk op het eiland Skye," an albumen print mounted in an album. The Isle of Skye, a place of rugged beauty and profound historical weight, provides the setting for this piece. In the 19th century, the Scottish Highlands were undergoing significant transformation, romanticized through art and literature even as its people faced displacement and cultural suppression. Thompson’s photograph taps into this romanticism, presenting an untouched, sublime landscape. However, such images often mask the complex realities of the Scottish Highland Clearances, where communities were forcibly evicted. The lone figure in the photograph might evoke a sense of solitary contemplation, yet it also speaks to a broader narrative of loss, solitude, and the changing relationship between people and the land. Here, Thompson offers more than just a landscape; he presents a space rich with unspoken stories.