Saturday, January 06, 2007

Some Art Saturday

I am going back to my History of Photography class for this week's selection. I love landscapes, whether they are photos or paintings. I am especially fascinated by really old photos of landscapes. This photo was taken by George Washington Wilson, a 19th century Scottish photographer. At the time, most photos were taken on glass plates coated with collodion and silver-iodide using long exposures. These glass negatives had to be developed in the field, so landscape photographers had to carry darkroom equipment and tents to the field with them! The photo below is in the George Washington Wilson Collection at the University of Aberdeen. This collection contains 40,000 of his glass negatives and you can even order prints! I think I will eventually order a few prints to have framed to hang at home. They're just gorgeous and remind me of my trip to Scotland.

The Silver Strand, Loch Katrine
by George Washington Wilson, c. 1875-1880
from the University of Aberdeen Photographic Archive (item A1599)