Highfields before 1870

Curator: Here we have a fascinating print from before 1870, titled "Highfields," by Charles Drake. The photograph itself is bound within the pages of a book. Editor: There's a distinct Victorian gloom hanging over that house. It's stately, sure, but those sharp angles and chimneys… gives me the creeps, like it's plotting something. Curator: I appreciate that initial response! The composition draws the eye upward, emphasizing the building's verticality and intricate detailing. The sharp contrasts further enhance this almost imposing effect. The way the photograph sits slightly angled within the book adds another layer. Editor: Angled is right! Is it just me, or is it kind of...falling over? Maybe that's the plotting, it is ready to turn the page, the literal page and figuratively. I bet all manner of things occur at 'Highfields' that will never come to light. All buried now, of course. Curator: That may be too far, even for me. Nevertheless, notice how the building almost disrupts the landscape—a statement of human intervention and dominion over nature during this period. I should point out its textures - from the building facade and shrubbery behind give it volume and scale. Editor: Sure, but at what cost? That perfect lawn, manicured within an inch of its life! Not a single weed daring to show its face. It's… unnerving. Perhaps it reflects the repression of the age— all prim and proper on the surface. Curator: Well, either way, what strikes me is how Drake, even with the constraints of early photography, conveys such detail, from the brickwork to the individual windows. This photograph serves as an excellent document of a particular architectural style and a specific moment in time. Editor: Exactly, that 'moment', pregnant with so much it is about to birth something entirely new and disturbing in its heart, I can't see it just as architectural detailing. All that darkness seems about to creep across that open book. Curator: Yes, “Highfields” invites reflections on both the aesthetic and societal values embedded in its stark yet elegant depiction of Victorian England. Thank you, Charles Drake! Editor: I still think it’s haunted. And beautiful in that strange, dark way.