Dunstanborough Castle c. 19th century

Editor: This is Charles Turner’s Dunstanborough Castle, an etching. The sepia tones lend the scene a somewhat desolate feel. What can you tell me about the social history of this work? Curator: Consider the picturesque movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Ruins, like Dunstanborough, became fashionable subjects. How does this depiction of decay and abandonment fit into the social and political climate of the time? Editor: It seems to romanticize a lost past, almost like a political statement. Curator: Precisely! Notice how Turner positions the humble cottage in the foreground, dwarfed by the ruined castle. What narrative does this juxtaposition create for viewers of the period? Editor: I see a commentary on changing social structures, the fading aristocracy perhaps. Fascinating.