From Horse Stall to Object of Study: Considerations on George Chalmers’ Photobook

Abstract

This article is about a photo album that belonged to the English miner and entrepreneur George Chalmers. Our aim is to give a descriptive presentation of the material, pointing out its main characteristics and the possible narratives it generates. As a methodological approach, we used image analysis by comparison, cross-referencing data from the Englishman’s life with the photographs. In the end, we were able to delve deeper into the materiality of the album, attempting to break the silence imposed on the images after their owners are no longer with us, leaving us with no clues as to the criteria for selecting and organizing such an object. We concluded, however, that it still raises more questions than answers and requires further study in order to acquire more layers of interpretation.