Smailholme Tower c. 19th century

Curator: What strikes me most about this print, Edward Goodall's "Smailholme Tower," is the feeling of romantic isolation. It's like a memory, faded at the edges. Editor: Indeed. There's a dreamlike quality; the tower emerges almost ethereally from the landscape. Historically, Smailholme was a border peel tower, a defense against reivers. The imagery evokes a sense of vulnerability, but also resilience. Curator: Exactly. Towers often function as phallic symbols, representing power. But here, softened by the delicate rendering, it suggests a different kind of endurance, perhaps a psychological one. Editor: I see your point. It's interesting how Goodall uses the vignette to isolate the tower, minimizing its connection to the surrounding socio-political landscape, while enhancing its symbolic weight. It's no longer just a defensive structure but something more introspective. Curator: A place of refuge, maybe? A space to confront what haunts us? Editor: Perhaps both. It's a lovely reminder that even in ruins, places hold onto their stories, shaping ours in turn.