Pigeons at Singleton; Caswell 1853 - 1856

James Knight made these albumen silver prints, titled ‘Pigeons at Singleton’ and ‘Caswell’, using photography. The arrangement of the images creates a dialogue between the natural and the built environment. Knight was working at a time when photography was still a relatively new medium and was gaining traction as a documentary tool but also as a way of seeing and framing the world according to aesthetic principles. This photograph is of Wales, in Britain, a land of rugged coasts, mountains, and distinctive villages, and the image captures a sense of place and a sense of belonging. The rise of photography coincided with the growth of tourism and leisure activities, with many people travelling to picturesque locations such as this one. The image also participates in a long tradition of landscape art in Britain that, while seemingly neutral, is often deeply entwined with issues of land ownership, social class, and national identity. These kinds of photographs would have been shared among a social circle. By looking at archives of letters and diaries we can better understand the place of this artwork in the life of its original audience.