Ely Cathedral 19th-20th century

Editor: We’re looking at "Ely Cathedral," a gelatin silver print photograph captured sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century by Frederick H. Evans. It’s breathtaking! The scale of the architecture feels so immense, even in a two-dimensional image. What draws your eye when you look at this? Curator: You know, it’s funny. It always pulls me in like a dream, a ghost from another age whispering secrets of faith and stone. Notice how Evans hasn't just documented a space, he's crafted a *feeling*. See how the light spills through the windows? Does it feel heavenly? Editor: Absolutely. The way the light filters in creates this almost ethereal quality. Was Evans trying to evoke something specific? Curator: I think so. He wasn’t simply recording architecture; he was responding to it. He lets the architecture itself, and the light, speak of its history and spiritual intent, like light shining through the stained glass still reverberates around it centuries later. Does this feel different than say a stark, modern photograph of a building? Editor: Yes, completely. This feels like an experience. More subjective, more emotional. It's interesting to see a Gothic structure, generally associated with painting and sculpture, being expressed through photography. I wouldn't immediately associate photography with such dramatic architecture. Curator: Right, it can feel… paradoxical, almost! You almost expect him to be sketching, don't you? The photography captures those emotional notes that echo the Gothic aesthetic, the awe-inspiring sublime, through a then-new technological means. Isn’t that magical? Editor: I think it is. I'll never see architectural photography the same way again. Thank you for highlighting the history and feelings of architecture.