Bridge in the Pass of Glencoe, Scotland 1888

Thomas Moran created this etching titled "Bridge in the Pass of Glencoe, Scotland." Moran, born in England, immigrated to the U.S. and became a painter of the American West. Yet, in this print, he turns to the Scottish Highlands. Glencoe is not just any landscape; it's a place laden with history and sorrow. In 1692, it was the site of a brutal massacre of the MacDonald clan by government forces, a chilling moment of betrayal and violence in Scottish history. Perhaps Moran, an outsider himself, was drawn to Glencoe's stark beauty and its history of cultural conflict. The bridge, a symbol of connection, is set against a backdrop of formidable mountains, maybe referencing the divides and the difficult paths to reconciliation. Moran’s work often presents nature as sublime, but here, the emotional weight of the landscape seems to hint at the complex layers of identity, loyalty, and the painful legacies of power.