Nantz Mill, from "Remarks on a Tour to North and South Wales, in the year 1797" 1799

Editor: This is "Nantz Mill, from 'Remarks on a Tour to North and South Wales, in the year 1797'," an etching dating back to 1799 by John Hill. It strikes me as both serene and isolating, with the small figures dwarfed by the dramatic landscape. What's your interpretation of this piece? Curator: The tension between serenity and isolation you noticed is key. We're looking at Romanticism grappling with the Industrial Revolution. Hill's idealized landscape—a picturesque mill, towering mountains— masks the era’s upheaval. The mill, a site of labor, is presented as harmonious, yet the working figures are indeed diminished, almost consumed by nature. What narratives of power and control do you see emerging here? Editor: I guess I see how the mill could be a symbol of progress that has real-world consequences, that can erase individuals within these landscapes. The beauty kind of covers up those facts? Curator: Precisely. And consider the "tour" mentioned in the title. Who had the privilege to tour and observe? How does this image participate in the construction of a particular British identity, rooted in ownership and observation of its lands? Are marginalized communities absent or erased in that depiction? Editor: So the image is both celebrating the landscape and possibly erasing some parts of society at the same time? Curator: Absolutely. It invites us to question whose story is being told, and whose is being left out. How does landscape art reinforce certain social structures? By considering these power dynamics we move beyond a simple appreciation of beauty. Editor: That makes me look at it completely differently. I was only looking at the scenery before! Curator: It's a constant unearthing, isn't it? Looking at these landscapes can make us ask what ideological landscapes they might also represent.