The Wigwam, a Canadian Scene at Penllergare
ca. 1855
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 18.5 x 22.1 cm (7 5/16 x 8 11/16 in.) Mount: 22.1 x 36.9 cm (8 11/16 x 14 1/2 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.573
Tags
About this artwork
This intriguing photograph depicts a rustic split-log wigwam and Canadian birch bark canoe situated incongruously in the Welsh countryside of Penllergare estate. The albumen silver print captures these exotic elements within the picturesque landscape of Glamorgan, South Wales, revealing Victorian fascination with indigenous North American culture. The composition demonstrates Llewelyn's careful attention to lighting and tonal range, characteristic of his sophisticated approach to the still-devel...
About the Artist
John Dillwyn Llewelyn
John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1810–1882) was a pioneering Welsh photographer and botanist whose innovative images captured the dramatic landscapes of his Penllergare estate and the Welsh coast. Born on 12 January 1810 in Swansea as the eldest son of botanist Lewis Weston Dillwyn and Mary Dillwyn, he inherited the Penllergare estate from his maternal grandfather, Colonel John Llewelyn, upon coming of age ...