Conway Suspension Bridge, gezien vanaf Conwy Castle c. 1860 - 1880

This is Conway Suspension Bridge, seen from Conwy Castle, a photograph made by Francis Bedford in the mid-nineteenth century. We see one of the first modern suspension bridges from an unusual angle. The bridge echoes the architectural forms of the medieval castle in the foreground. When this photograph was made, Britain was the world’s first industrial nation. British engineers were building the infrastructure of modernity: factories, railways, and bridges. The image presents this modern bridge as continuous with the history of British power represented by the medieval fortress. It draws a parallel between the medieval king and the modern engineer. The photograph is not just a record of an existing structure, but it's also a powerful statement about British identity, progress, and the relationship between past and present. Looking into photographs such as this one can tell us a lot about how historical events, social class, political movements, and economic structures all had their influence on the artwork.