Keep of Tattershall Castle, Lincolnshire - 2nd Fortescue 1860

Alfred Capel Cure created this albumen silver print of Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire, England, sometime in the mid-19th century. At this time, photography was still a relatively new medium, requiring not only an understanding of optics, but also a mastery of chemistry. The process of creating an albumen print involved coating paper with egg whites and silver nitrate, then exposing it to light through a negative. The resulting image, as we can see here, has a distinctive sepia tone and a soft, slightly diffused quality, an aesthetic far removed from today's crisp digital images. The choice of subject is also significant. Tattershall Castle, a medieval brick fortress, speaks to a romantic interest in the past, and the desire to document and preserve such sites through the relatively new medium of photography. By focusing on the materiality and processes involved in creating this image, we gain a deeper appreciation for its historical and cultural significance. It’s not just a picture, it’s a record of time, skill, and a particular way of seeing the world.