Colwyn Bay. Rustic Bridge in the Wood 1870s

This albumen print of a rustic bridge in Colwyn Bay was produced by Francis Bedford in the mid-19th century. Bedford was commissioned to photograph sites along the North Wales coast during a period of intense railway construction. His images depict the rapid expansion of tourist infrastructure, as well as the reshaping of the landscape, during this era. The presence of a lone figure on the bridge suggests that the work speaks to the aesthetic appreciation of nature that was a growing trend in Britain at the time. The image itself is striking for its detailed representation of a seemingly untouched environment; however, photography in the 1800s became a tool for representing the world, so there is little untouched in this landscape. As a historian, I'd be interested in looking at travel guides, maps, and local records to better understand how the image speaks to broader historical trends.