[Dead Stag] 1857

Horatio Ross's photographic print, likely made using the wet collodion process, freezes a stark scene. The body of a dead stag lies draped over rocks in a stream. Photography in the 19th century was a complex alchemy, requiring meticulous preparation and understanding of chemical reactions. Ross would have coated a glass plate with collodion, a sticky, light-sensitive emulsion, then exposed and developed it immediately. The final print, like this one, captures incredible detail, while also bearing the marks of its making, such as subtle tonal variations and soft focus. Beyond the technical skill, this photograph speaks to the social context of the Scottish Highlands. The image suggests a controlled environment where nature's dominance has been challenged. The dead stag, posed almost as a trophy, reflects a culture of hunting as a leisure pursuit, accessible primarily to the landed gentry. In this context, photography itself becomes a tool to capture and display a certain kind of power over the landscape and its creatures, blurring the lines between art, sport, and social status.