Gezicht op het Daish's Hotel te Shanklin c. 1850 - 1880

This stereoscopic image shows the Daish's Hotel in Shanklin and was made by J.W. Nicholson. The image speaks to the rise of leisure culture and tourism in Victorian England. The Daish's Hotel, likely catering to middle-class clientele, represents a growing industry catering to those with the means and time for travel. Looking closely, the presence of children and leisurely dressed figures suggests a family-oriented destination. The architecture, while modest, hints at aspirations of respectability and comfort. Nicholson's choice of the stereoscopic format, popular at the time, underscores photography's role in documenting and popularizing these new social spaces. By consulting period guidebooks, local histories, and business records, we might understand how this hotel fits into the broader network of leisure and commerce that shaped Victorian society. The photograph, in this sense, is not merely a picture, but a document of social transformation.