Gezicht op Fort William met de Ben Nevis 1865 - 1875

Curator: Let’s take a look at "Gezicht op Fort William met de Ben Nevis," which translates to “View of Fort William with Ben Nevis," created sometime between 1865 and 1875 by James Valentine. The medium used here is an albumen print, a very common photographic process in the mid-19th century. Editor: Right away, there's a sense of wistful solitude. It's the kind of landscape that makes you want to just breathe deeply, maybe write a slightly overdramatic poem about longing. I am strangely captivated. Curator: Well, that makes sense. Remember that in the 1860s and 70s, landscape photography like this played a huge role in shaping national identity. Images of Scotland, like this one, circulated widely, feeding into Romantic ideas of the Highlands as a place of sublime beauty and historical significance, especially when it comes to painting traditions. Editor: True. There is some very romantic lighting happening, like you could imagine someone brooding up in those hills! But what really grabs me is the stark stillness of the water compared to the imposing ruggedness in the background. How the town sits right on that bank...it is as if to challenge both. Curator: It's a constructed vision, though, right? Valentine wasn't just documenting; he was actively participating in the construction of a particular idea of Scotland and Highland life as idyllic and separate. Consider how the industry facilitated all of this: postcards, guidebooks, trainloads of tourists suddenly wanting their slice of the sublime... Editor: So, not quite as spontaneous as it feels? I mean, maybe this image has had me fooled all along. The romance! Curator: It shows us how landscapes are also historical texts. This photograph encapsulates layers of social, economic, and cultural meanings which might now just read as an ordinary landscape today. Editor: Well, even if the photographer had some specific social goals in mind, the photograph continues to whisper its suggestive ideas about a unique time and space, perhaps a bit louder knowing this. The more a work intrigues, the more its depth reveals. Thanks!