Garden of Selvia, Syracuse, Sicily

George Wilson Bridges British

Not on view

The monk’s gesture of prayer in this image by George Wilson Bridges is a touchstone of stillness against the impressive landscape and vegetation that rise up behind him. Bridges was an Anglican reverend and friend of William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of the calotype (paper negative), who instructed him on the method before it was patented. Bridges was also one of the earliest photographers to embark upon a tour of the Mediterranean region; he wrote to Talbot that he conceived of the excursion both as a technical mission to advance photography and as a pilgrimage to collect imagery of religious sites.

Garden of Selvia, Syracuse, Sicily, George Wilson Bridges (British, 1788–1864), Salted paper print from paper negative

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