Aberdulais Mill, Glamorganshire 

James Ward made this watercolor drawing of Aberdulais Mill in Glamorganshire during a period of immense social and economic change in Britain. Ward was working during the Industrial Revolution, a period which dramatically reshaped the landscape and lives of working-class people. Here, Ward depicts the natural landscape alongside the industrial architecture of the mill. The scene presents a tension between nature and industry which speaks to the disruption of traditional ways of life. It invites us to consider who benefitted from this progress, and who bore its costs. Ward’s artistic focus on rural life can be seen as a response to the rapid urbanization of the era, creating a sense of nostalgia for a disappearing way of life. It also underscores questions about land rights, labor, and the changing relationship between humans and their environment. What does the artist want you to think about the changes which took place at the time?