The photograph named “View on the Ribble” was captured by the artist Roger Fenton in the years 1858-59. This image is an early example of landscape photography, a genre that Fenton was particularly known for during the mid-19th century.
The photograph depicts a serene landscape centered around the River Ribble. The vantage point provides a view of the river bending through the countryside. On the left, the river’s banks are lined with lush, dark trees reflecting on the water’s surface, creating a mirror-like effect. To the right, we see a pebbly shore leading to cultivated fields, patterned with what appear to be rows of crops or possibly mowed hay. The fields ascend into gently rolling hills that recede into the distance under a soft, clouded sky. The calmness of the river and the absence of any human activity give the photograph a timeless, tranquil quality, reflective of many landscape compositions of the mid-Victorian era.
