Today most of us carry around phones equipped with cameras, ready to take a photo of an interesting view should the need or desire arise. It was not always quite so easy to take a casual snap, but from the dawn of photography one thing that has remained unchanged is that visitors to Stonehenge have wanted to capture an image as a memento of their visit – as some 150 photos currently on display at the site’s visitor centre show.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of when Cecil and Mary Chubb gifted Stonehenge to the nation, in 2018 English Heritage asked members of the public to send in their photos of the site. People answered the call in droves, and more than 1,000 images were submitted. As a result, a number of historically interesting photos have come to light. For example, one from around 1875 shows Isabel, Maud, and Robert Routh at the monument, resplendent in fine clothes and hats – together with a horse and carriage – in what is currently thought to be the earliest family photograph taken at Stonehenge. In order to showcase the public’s enthusiastic response and long-standing relationship with site, English Heritage has now organised the first purely graphic exhibition at Stonehenge. Of the many photos sent in, some 150 have been selected, representing a full sweep of the site as seen through the lens. Of these, guest-curator and photographer Martin Parr has chosen his favourite ten.
Through these photos, different histories can be charted. They stand as witnesses of developments in social history, changing fashions, and photography (such as the rise of the portable and easy-to-use Kodak Brownie in 1901 and of the availability of colour film), and offer a recent history of the monument itself, as well as conservation and excavation work carried out at the site over the last 140 years.
Excavating the CA archive