About this artwork
This picture demonstrates Clark's interest in showing different architectural styles side by side in order to comment on the rapid growth of the city. Here the monumental Roman forms of George IV Bridge are contrasted with the crumbling architecture of the once splendid Cowgate below. The ghostly traces of moving carriages remind us of the inevitable passage of time.
Updated before 2020
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artist:William Donaldson Clark (1813 - 1873) Scottish
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title:The Cowgate Arch of George IV Bridge, Edinburgh
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date created:About 1860
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materials:Albumen print
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measurements:21.10 x 27.40 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Gift of Mrs. Riddell in memory of Peter Fletcher Riddell 1985
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accession number:PGP R 113
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gallery:
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subject:
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William Donaldson Clark
William Donaldson Clark
William Donaldson Clark was a wealthy cotton cloth printer who used his knowledge of chemistry in his practice as an amateur photographer. He employed the dry collodion process which made outdoor work more practical. Although it required exposure times of up to a quarter of an hour, the technique...
