Gezicht op een huis langs de kust bij Ilfracombe c. 1850 - 1880

This small stereoscopic card presents a view of a house along the coast near Ilfracombe and was created by an anonymous photographer. During the Victorian era, the English seaside became a potent symbol of leisure and national identity. The rise of seaside tourism was deeply entwined with class distinctions. Ilfracombe, with its rugged cliffs and picturesque views, attracted middle-class families seeking respite from industrial life. In this context, even a seemingly straightforward landscape is charged with narratives of social mobility and cultural aspiration. What does it mean to desire a 'room with a view', and how might it have shaped one’s identity? I wonder, does this image perpetuate the romantic ideal of the British seaside, or does it offer an alternative narrative, one perhaps tinged with the loneliness of coastal life?