Buildwas Abbey 1858

Alfred Capel Cure made this albumen silver print of Buildwas Abbey in England, in 1858. Architectural ruins such as these became a popular subject during the Victorian era, as part of a Romantic interest in the past. However, the interest in ruins such as these was not only nostalgic or aesthetic. The Church of England had only recently reasserted itself after centuries of political and social upheaval in which monastic institutions were dissolved. How does it reflect on the social structures of its own time? Photographs like this one, sold as inexpensive reproductions, served as a reminder of the Church’s enduring presence and power. They also demonstrated a progressive use of technology to reflect on a conservative institution. To understand this moment in British history, we can look to social histories of the Victorian era, church records, and histories of photography and its institutions. The meaning of art changes in relation to its social and institutional context.