Gezicht op Victoria Street in Manchester before 1878

This is Alfred Brothers’ photograph of Victoria Street in Manchester. This image, captured with a camera, presents the stark geometry of modern urban life. Rows of windows line the buildings, each a small, repetitive unit that speaks to the industrial era's emphasis on mass production and standardization. Notice how the rounded corners of the buildings soften what would otherwise be harsh, angular lines. This subtle curve echoes classical architecture, a visual memory of the past subtly embedded in the modern cityscape. The image thus presents a tension between the new and the old, the industrial and the classical. Consider how, in ancient Roman cityscapes, arches and rounded structures signified power and order. Here, the curve adapts to a new context, a modern street, yet it still carries a visual weight that subconsciously evokes a sense of stability and continuity. This is how symbols migrate, transform, and continue to influence our perception across time.