Gezicht op resten van het oude koor en een kapel van de St John the Baptist's Church in Chester before 1858

This is an undated photograph by William Bryans, showing the ruins of St. John the Baptist's Church in Chester. We can appreciate this image on a number of levels. Firstly, as an example of early photography, a medium which would transform artistic production and the art market in the 19th Century, democratizing art and changing our perception of the world around us. Secondly, this is a photograph of a ruined church. The ruin represents a romantic ideal that became popular during the early 1800s, which was a nostalgic longing for the past, when life was thought to be simpler. The church, as a public institution, provides a sense of community and stability. In the 19th century, England saw a decline in the power of the church, because of scientific advancement and the industrial revolution. By studying the social and institutional history of the era, we can learn a great deal about what this image meant to Bryans and his contemporaries.