Aqueduct Bridge near Duntreath Castle, 22 miles from Loch Katrine before 1889

T. and R. Annan and Sons made this photograph of the Aqueduct Bridge near Duntreath Castle in Scotland, using a wet collodion process, probably in the 1860s or 70s. Photography in this period played a crucial role in documenting and celebrating Britain’s industrial progress and engineering achievements. But it was also used to promote tourism, with romantic views of the Scottish landscape becoming increasingly popular. Here, the aqueduct is presented as a harmonious element within the natural environment. Notice how the soft lighting and carefully composed scene serve to aestheticize the structure, rather than highlight its functional or industrial aspects. The Annan firm were leading figures in the Scottish art world, and were granted exclusive rights to photograph paintings from the Glasgow Art Gallery, so we can see this image as part of a broader institutional drive to popularize art and culture through photography. To understand this image better, we could research the history of Scottish infrastructure, tourism in the Victorian era, and the role of photography in shaping cultural perceptions of progress.