Lincoln Cathedral
Francis Frith
British, 1822–1898
c. 1860
A mid-19th-century albumen silver print by Francis Frith that seeks to document and celebrate the monumental presence of Lincoln Cathedral, presenting its Gothic architecture with careful, documentary clarity.
You are struck by the cathedral’s soaring towers and vertical ribs—rendered in crisp monochrome—looming over the tiny, low-roofed houses in the foreground so that scale and intricacy become immediately apparent.
This work illustrates how early architectural photography made historic monuments widely visible to a growing Victorian audience, fueling interest in heritage, tourism, and the preservation of medieval architecture through reproducible images.
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
6 3/8 × 8" (16.3 × 20.3 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Anonymous gift
Accession
657.1976
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
