The Hyde, Cheltenham
1853–56
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Image: 16.9 × 21.9 cm (6 5/8 × 8 5/8 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.382 (65)
Tags
Art Historical Context
"The Hyde, Cheltenham" is a captivating albumen silver print created by James Knight between 1853 and 1856. This early photograph captures a serene landscape of gardens and grounds, likely belonging to an estate in Cheltenham, England. Measuring just under 7 by 9 inches, the image reflects the mid-nineteenth-century fascination with documenting the natural world through the new medium of photography. Albumen prints, made by coating paper with egg-white emulsion, were prized for their fine detail and tonal range during photography’s formative years. Knight’s work exemplifies how artists quickl...