St. George's Chapel, Windsor c. 1843 - 1847

Editor: This photograph, "St. George's Chapel, Windsor," taken by William Henry Fox Talbot between 1843 and 1847, has this almost ghostly quality because it's an early albumen print. The architecture itself is just stunning. What captures your attention when you look at it? Curator: My eye immediately goes to the intricate details and symbolism embedded in the architecture itself. The pointed arches, the verticality of the spires... these are not merely aesthetic choices. They’re visual expressions of aspiration, reaching towards the divine. Consider the cultural memory St. George evokes – chivalry, faith, and nationhood all crystallized in this space. Does the angle of the photograph emphasize those aspirations for you, do you think? Editor: Definitely. Shooting upwards really amplifies the sense of grandeur and power. It almost feels like we're meant to feel small and in awe. Curator: Precisely. And beyond that, consider how photography itself – a relatively new medium at the time – captures something seemingly eternal. It becomes a cultural artifact layered with meanings – the physical place, its historical significance, and now, its photographic representation. What’s particularly interesting is how Talbot's work here begins to create new visual vocabularies, reinterpreting gothic symbols for the modern eye. Editor: It's fascinating to think about the photograph as another layer of meaning on top of the existing architecture and its symbolism. I hadn’t really considered it that way. Curator: These gothic structures, reframed by Talbot's lens, serve as a reminder that our perceptions are continually shaped and reshaped, inheriting, and reinventing what came before. Editor: It really makes you think about how every image carries its own history.