Brougham's Castle near the Junction of the Rivers Eamont and Lowther c. 19th century

Curator: The atmosphere in this print of Brougham's Castle is positively haunted. Editor: Indeed. The artist, William Sayre, presents us with a rather austere ruin situated near the junction of the Eamont and Lowther rivers. I wonder, what materials were used in its original construction? Curator: Likely local stone, readily available and cheap to extract. The print itself would have necessitated skilled labor: the engraver translating the landscape onto the plate. Editor: Beyond the practicalities, the rainbow speaks volumes. It appears almost as a bridge linking the earthly realm of the ruined castle with something…otherworldly. Curator: A rainbow, though, is a result of specific atmospheric conditions. Light refracting through water droplets. It's physical. Editor: But even physical phenomena can resonate symbolically! It evokes hope, promise after a storm, a covenant... Curator: I'm drawn to the workers who constructed the castle and those who now make this print accessible. They may have believed in those symbols, or perhaps they only sought honest wages for honest labor. Editor: A castle as a symbol, a rainbow as a bridge, both remind us of our human longing for connection across time and space. Curator: And the skilled hands that shaped both the castle stones and the copperplate that made this print. Editor: A fascinating interplay of the concrete and the ephemeral!