Boog van de ruïne van Furness Abbey before 1880

Alfred Pettitt captured this image of ‘Arch at Furness Abbey’ sometime during his career as a photographer in the mid-19th century. Pettitt operated during a time of significant social transformation in England, marked by rapid industrialization and urbanization. Photography itself was a burgeoning technology, altering perceptions of time, memory and documentation. Consider how ruins, like those of Furness Abbey, became popular subjects. They represented a longing for a romanticized past, amidst the jarring changes of the Industrial Revolution. The photograph creates a sense of distance, like a dream slipping away. The cool tones and stark framing of the arch, overgrown with nature, evokes feelings of melancholy and contemplation on the passage of time. This image embodies the Victorian era's complex relationship with history, progress, and the aestheticization of decay.