View of Fields with Cows c. 1850s - 1860s

This early photograph, “View of Fields with Cows,” presents a landscape muted in sepia tones, composed primarily of the earth and sky. The horizon line is low, giving prominence to the clouded sky above. The clouds themselves seem heavy, their diffused light casting a soft, almost melancholic mood over the scene. The artist’s deliberate use of a wide format flattens the perspective, reducing depth and compressing the pastoral scene into a series of horizontal bands. This compositional choice emphasizes the materiality of the photographic print itself, drawing attention to its surface rather than creating a deep, illusionistic space. The cows, though small, are crucial; they break up the landscape and act as semiotic markers of rural life. In this context, the photograph destabilizes traditional landscape painting’s emphasis on depth and romantic idealization. Instead, its flattened perspective and muted palette underscore the photograph's status as a constructed image, a sign referring to a world, but not the world itself. Through these formal qualities, the photograph invites us to consider how its presentation shapes our understanding of nature and representation.