Sheep c. 19th century

Editor: This is "Sheep" by W. T. Green, and it looks like it was made with ink. It's a pastoral scene, but there's a stillness, an almost melancholic feel to it. How do you interpret this work within its historical context? Curator: I see this as participating in a long history of pastoral imagery, often tied to ideas of national identity. The sheep, the cottage, the dog—they're all elements of a constructed rural ideal. Where do such images circulate? Editor: Hmm, maybe prints in books, popular imagery? Curator: Exactly! And consider who's consuming these images and what that ideal represents to them. It might be a comforting vision of stability amid industrial change, or a tool for reinforcing social hierarchies. Editor: So it's less about the sheep themselves and more about what they symbolize? Curator: Precisely. It’s about the political life of the image. I hadn’t considered that before. Thanks!