Jack Gralloching a Stag 1856 - 1858

Editor: This gelatin silver print, titled "Jack Gralloching a Stag," was taken between 1856 and 1858 by Horatio Ross. The scene is undeniably somber, with a hunter and a slain stag taking center stage. It feels very intimate, like a private moment captured in a large open landscape. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: The intimacy gets me too, actually. It is so unvarnished! Think about it: photography was still a relatively new medium. This wasn't painting, striving for some kind of idealized version of reality, or romantic hunting scene with clean lines and posed subjects, and here we have someone gralloching, that is, disemboweling, their kill, which brings a gut punch – a strangely honest reflection on our relationship with nature. Almost like he's saying "Look! This is the reality that provides sustenance and sport." It isn’t about glorifying the hunt, but accepting the act of necessity for both survival and class…what do you make of that? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. It does seem to cut through the typical romantic depictions. And I see how his rank could drive the sport! So, beyond the subject matter, does the composition itself tell us anything? Curator: Absolutely! Look at how the muted tones, the way he blends the horizon and animal; they create a flatness which makes the central action more intimate. I feel as though I'm in the field right there with him and I almost didn’t want to be. What a thing! Editor: So, Ross manages to challenge our assumptions about hunting while presenting it with startling realism. Curator: Precisely! It is a window into the past, and also a mirror reflecting the complications of human experience in nature. It's a fascinating contrast, really!