Landscape painting and nature tourism: the Falls of Clyde
October 4th, 2009
The landscape painters of the 18th century were among the first promoters of nature tourism in Britain. Their work inspired people to go on tours of wild places and admire the grandeur of nature. One popular destination, much sketched, painted and written about, was the Falls of the Clyde in Scotland.
Jacob More’s work is a romanticised view of the highest and largest of the Falls, the Corra Linn. Viewers of the painting could identify with the group of tourists in the corner, awe-struck by this “rude slope of furious foam”, as 18th century travel writer Thomas Pennant described them. They might even be galvanized to do a trip to the wilds of Scotland themselves. Read the rest of this entry
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