Brug over de Skell bij de Fountains Abbey c. 1850 - 1880

Curator: This gelatin silver print captures a scene at Fountains Abbey, focusing on a bridge spanning the River Skell. Attributed to Ogle & Edge, or "OE," it likely dates between 1850 and 1880. What's your first impression? Editor: Haunting. It's like looking into a ghost story, a beautiful decay. The muted tones really set the mood. The ruins practically weep romance. Curator: Right, the image encapsulates a romantic sensibility popular during that era. It represents not only an aesthetic appreciation for the ruin, but a commercial prospect too. Early photography studios recognized the market for picturesque views that emphasized leisure and heritage tourism. Editor: Tourism? But there’s a real artistic vision at play here too. It’s more than just a postcard, it is a wistful capture of passing time and the delicate brushstrokes of entropy… or maybe the photographer just wanted a souvenir of a pleasant afternoon stroll! Curator: Perhaps. Though I’d argue the seemingly simple photograph involves considerable labor and choice: the collodion process itself, the developing and printing on silver gelatin paper. And beyond the hand work in the darkroom there were decisions made in terms of selecting the right perspective and light to effectively sell prints like this. Editor: Fair enough, that's true! It feels almost rebellious now, focusing on ruins. Think about it—someone consciously chose to capture the demise rather than the creation. Do you imagine someone walking the scene musing on how it would eventually crumble like this very shot might in some future unseen skip? Curator: Considering the expansion of industrialization and modern technology that made photography itself possible, some might see this type of romantic subject matter as a deliberate artistic counterpoint: a sort of sentimental longing for an older England in response to anxieties surrounding modern developments. Editor: Ah, a beautiful paradox then, this photo owes its existence to technology but yearns for an older pre-industrial world. I will walk away from this experience with this little gem in my mind… Curator: Yes, let's hope our audience will ponder about the many ways photographic materials can mediate memory, nostalgia and a selective vision of both the natural and built environments.