American Creeper, Blake House 1860

Alfred Capel Cure captured "American Creeper, Blake House" using photography during the Victorian era, a time marked by significant industrial and social change. This image offers us a glimpse into the aesthetics and values of the time. The creeper, lush and untamed, juxtaposed against the structured architecture of the house, hints at the Victorian fascination with both nature and order. The seemingly arbitrary inclusion of objects like the broom or cart, suggests a narrative—a story frozen in time. The photograph, with its sepia tones and emphasis on texture, invites a sense of nostalgia, evoking the past with a certain reverence, and yet, perhaps also a sense of loss for a time when nature and the domestic sphere were more intertwined.