Clovelly, the New Inn and Street 1860 - 1894

Curator: This gelatin-silver print, dating between 1860 and 1894, is titled "Clovelly, the New Inn and Street" by Francis Bedford, currently held at The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: My initial response is to the sheer steepness! It’s almost disorienting; the photograph seems to push everything upward, an ascension defined by these relentless cobblestones. Curator: Absolutely, that incline is the key to unlocking so much about life in this village, Clovelly. Consider the historical context; how much daily life would be affected by the intense verticality, from trade to social hierarchy? Bedford's choice to emphasize this suggests an awareness of the town's particular struggles. Editor: And the presence of the donkeys reinforces that. They're not merely picturesque details but symbols of necessary labor, perhaps even representing the burdens borne by the working class of that time and place. The New Inn also functions as a key symbol, what does the public house represent in society and in the iconography of small village? Curator: Precisely! "The New Inn" itself signals more than just a place to stay, it would be the heart of a village like this, maybe a gathering place where issues could have been politically confronted, even debated in safety, after long work days. Bedford may even be addressing the intersectional identities represented here in his framing. Editor: Visually, it echoes the Inn's purpose, serving as a comforting constant amid the struggle, if even an elusive one. Note the detail Bedford captured - the way the light hits the building is striking, yet soft; a welcoming space beckoning people forward and upward. Curator: It does offer a sense of promise, doesn't it? Yet it’s all mediated through this relentless path upwards. Are those men pausing or simply at rest? It reflects this tension between aspiration and the material realities. I want to understand how that cobblestone path, even, was conceived by the local city planners. Editor: To that point: the composition mimics life's journey itself! The image feels constructed with intention - like those lines which begin sharply at the foreground and fade slightly into the soft horizon. A constant tension, but rendered softly nonetheless through Bedford's careful photographic process. Curator: In that era of Victorian England, a photographic medium like this often conveyed an idealized version of reality, even propaganda... but there’s a candid intimacy to it, here, nonetheless. We must resist the urge to see this as straightforward representation. Editor: Precisely. There's a delicate beauty to Bedford's social document - like his composition of symbols carefully arranged for cultural impact. A timeless commentary on perseverance despite steep ascents and struggles, for both those who visit and call Clovelly home.