Holyrood Palace before 1866

This photogravure of Holyrood Palace was created by Thomas Annan around the late 19th century. The palace looms with a rigid symmetry, structured by vertical towers and horizontal courses of stone. The monochromatic palette and soft focus create an atmospheric effect, evoking a sense of timelessness and introspection. Annan’s formal arrangement invites a semiotic reading, where architectural elements function as signs of power, history, and cultural identity. The play of light and shadow enhances the texture of the stonework, emphasizing the physical reality and historical weight of the structure. This echoes a structuralist perspective, revealing how Annan uses visual codes to convey meaning and invite viewers to reflect on the themes of memory, history, and representation. The careful composition and attention to texture serve not just as aesthetic choices, but as profound comments on the palace's enduring role in shaping Scottish identity. By emphasizing these visual and material qualities, Annan invites us to continually re-evaluate the cultural meanings embedded within historical images.