Rob Roy's Cave nabij Loch Lomond c. 1850 - 1880

This stereoscopic photograph of Rob Roy’s Cave at Loch Lomond was made by James Valentine, a Scottish photographer who lived in the 19th century. It is made from a photographic print glued to cardstock. The photograph itself involved a labor-intensive, technically demanding chemical process. While we might think of photography as a direct reflection of reality, in Valentine’s time it was a means of selectively capturing and framing the world. It was a complex combination of science, craft, and art. In this image, we see a romanticized vision of the Scottish Highlands, already popular through the writings of Sir Walter Scott. Valentine successfully capitalized on the public’s fascination with Scotland, building a business by mass-producing romantic, tourist-oriented images like this one. Ultimately, the meaning of this photograph lies not only in its visual content, but also in its making, and its context within 19th-century Scottish culture and commerce.