Honister Crag, looking west before 1864

This is a photograph of Honister Crag, looking west, attributed to Thomas Ogle. As a photographic print, this image exists as one page of an open book opposite a poem titled, “The Brothers.” Honister Crag is located in the English Lake District, which was a popular destination for Romantic poets and artists in the 19th century. This region was seen as a sublime landscape that could offer spiritual and emotional renewal. This photograph would have provided a visual record and reminder of the sublime for viewers who may or may not have had access to such travel. The act of photographing and publishing images of the natural world was deeply entwined with the social and economic changes of the time, shaping perceptions of identity, place, and nationhood. The depiction of landscapes was not just about aesthetics; it was also about claiming territory, defining cultural identity, and promoting national pride. Today, consider the ways in which landscape photography continues to shape our understanding of the environment and our place within it.