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Scotch Firs, Hawkhurst
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Despite the Industrial Revolution, Benjamin Brecknell Turner portrayed the English countryside as stable, harmonious, and unchanging—a place where nature and humanity coexist in complete harmony. Here the artist captured a pastoral scene in Surrey, combining towering trees, houses, and farm buildings to create a skillful blend of rustic domesticity and charming landscape. Preferring to photograph at an angle, Turner's composition is enlivened by the strong diagonals found in the receding lines of trees, fence, and pathway, which lead the viewer in an orderly progression from foreground to background. According to family tradition, <em>Scotch Firs, Hawkhurst</em> was so admired by Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert that Turner presented him with a print of the photograph in 1853.
| Artist / Maker | Benjamin Brecknell Turner |
|---|---|
| Date | 1853 |
| Culture / Origin | England, 19th century |
| Medium | albumen print from calotype |
| Dimensions | Image: 28.6 x 39.1 cm (11 1/4 x 15 3/8 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.) |
| Department | Photography |
| Type | Photograph |
About the Artist
Benjamin Brecknell Turner British, 1815-1894 Benjamin Turner was considered one of Britain's finest calotypists. His principal subjects were architecture and landscape, but he also produced portraits. Turner took up photography in 1849, learning the new art form directly from William Henry Fox Talbot, inventor of the calotype process. He also worked with Sir Charles Wheatstone, an early experimenter in optics and photography. Turner practiced photography both in the field and in a glazed studio he had built above the family… Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
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