Dear Listers,
I have received a remarkable response to my latest "Images of Wales" pages
featuring old prints and engravings, and I have responded off list to
everyone who has written to me.
Some of the comments about my pictures caused me some concern. For example,
one Lister wrote that, "John Ball's pictures.... are a fabulous background
to family history." The choice of the adjective "fabulous" is
particularly
apt! :o)
The 18th and 19th century prints on my website present a highly romanticised
view of Wales. There is a core of truth in the pictures, enabling us to
recognise and identify the subjects, but the truth has been greatly
embellished, turning the pictures into fabulous landscapes befitting the
Romantic style which was in vogue in the 19th century.
The contemporary textual descriptions also betray the same Romantic
influences.
Don't be misled into believing you are looking at an objective
"photographic" record of the Welsh scene as experienced by your ancestors
200 years ago!
Kind regards,
John
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John Ball, Ystalyfera, South Wales, UK
E-mail: wfha(a)clara.co.uk
Homepage:
http://home.clara.net/wfha/
Images of Wales:
http://home.clara.net/wfha/walespic/
Welsh Family History Archive:
http://home.clara.net/wfha/wales/
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