Vale of Forth 

David Young Cameron created this watercolor landscape, "Vale of Forth," to capture a serene Scottish vista. Cameron, born in Glasgow, came of age amidst a burgeoning national consciousness in Scotland, and a nostalgia for its landscapes. This work offers us a window into the aesthetic preferences of its time, reflecting a desire for the sublime in nature but, in its tranquil reserve, it also offers a retreat from the industrial revolution. The subtle washes of color and the broad, open composition evoke a sense of calm, an escape. But whose escape was it? Consider the historical context, the class divisions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and how landscape art often served as a form of cultural capital for the bourgeoisie. Think about what it meant, and perhaps still means, to own or to simply gaze upon such a scene. What does it mean to have the time and resources to contemplate a landscape?