Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire c. 19th century

Curator: Thomas Higham’s rendering of Ely Cathedral presents a study in light and shadow. The architecture dominates, but notice the figures in the foreground. Editor: It’s wonderfully bleak. All of that emphasis on the cathedral looming over what seems like a vulnerable populace. Curator: Vulnerable, perhaps, but also integrated. Higham focuses on the geometric precision of the architecture, which reflects the cathedral's role in civic life. Editor: But what about the way this image was distributed? Was it meant for everyone? Prints like this served to create and reinforce class distinctions in the 19th century. Curator: True, but consider how Higham’s use of perspective draws our eye directly to the cathedral’s West Tower, emphasizing symmetry and order. Editor: It’s difficult not to see the hierarchy inherent in the composition—the powerful church against a somewhat faceless group of people. Curator: I see an intersection between the sacred and the secular, rendered with remarkable detail. Editor: I see a document of power and its visual strategies.