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Garden of Selvia, Syracuse, Sicily

1846
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Garden of Selvia, Syracuse, Sicily
  • Artist: George Wilson Bridges (British, 1788–1864)
  • Date: 1846
  • Medium: Salted paper print from paper negative
  • Dimensions: Image: 6 15/16 × 8 9/16 in. (17.7 × 21.7 cm)
    Sheet: 7 5/16 × 8 13/16 in. (18.5 × 22.4 cm)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Maurice B. Sendak, 2012
  • Object Number: 2013.159.1
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

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[The Photographer before his Tent on the Site of the Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren)], George Wilson Bridges British, Salted paper print from paper negative
[The Photographer before his Tent on the Site of the Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren)]
George Wilson Bridges
1851
On the Wharfe, Bolton Abbey, William Callow British, Watercolor
On the Wharfe, Bolton Abbey
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Pierrot Laughing, Nadar French, Gelatin-coated salted paper print (vernis-cuir)
Pierrot Laughing
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Person in Photograph Jean-Charles Deburau
1855
Benedictine Convent, Catania, George Wilson Bridges British, Salted paper print from paper negative
Benedictine Convent, Catania
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Stroh Violin, George Evans & Co. English, Mahogany and aluminum, British
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