Inverleith 1904 - 1905

Curator: Looking at this etching, titled "Inverleith," made by James McBey around 1904 or 1905, what's your immediate response? Editor: It evokes a somber mood, definitely melancholic. The composition, with the rain-slicked street and blurred figures, gives the impression of transience, almost like a faded memory. Curator: The use of etching to portray an urban landscape is itself significant. McBey uses these tiny lines to show details about this area in Edinburgh in a quick style, reminiscent of a photograph in the rain. The style here, while precise, falls loosely within an impressionist tradition, favoring fleeting moments over rigid accuracy. What’s interesting to you, socially or politically, about this image? Editor: Well, think of the rise of urbanization in the early 20th century. You see how cityscapes themselves were transformed into art. McBey wasn’t just capturing a scene; he was contributing to the visual language defining the modern urban experience. Also, note the prominent telephone pole. Infrastructure became not only part of daily life, but was featured within the artwork. I do wonder, however, if those who live there feel about the telephone pole. Perhaps its a representation of authority looming overhead? Curator: Good points. Consider the symbolism inherent in these technologies of connection contrasted with the individual, somewhat isolated figures walking along the street. Does it underscore or mitigate alienation in this environment? McBey seems fascinated with those liminal spaces between public infrastructure and the anonymous masses. This print shows an emerging cultural landscape. The mood suggests that he could sense changes in perception during modernity. Editor: I would be curious what the town residents felt about it. Were they interested in having telephone lines everywhere, or did they see it as a necessary component for participating in contemporary society. That being said, it is a striking image. It's not overtly political, yet it subtly prompts questions about the individual within a rapidly changing, industrialized society. Curator: A fantastic observation. McBey's ability to create such resonance from what appears at first to be a simple urban scene is impressive. Editor: Exactly, and it prompts us to consider our relationship to those same themes today – urbanization, technology, and the quest to find individual space.