Castleton of Braemar

Photograph of a man seated on stony ground in the centre of the foreground. His head is turned away from the viewer as he looks back at a boy who is sitting on the road. In the background stand four crofter's cottages with outbuildings on each side. In front of the cottages is a circular pen or pound made of planks of wood propped against stones.

In 1857 Wilson was producing work that was of a larger size to those photographs that he had taken the previous year. There is a possibility that Wilson was influenced by Roger Fenton who was producing views of the same region but in a larger size in 1856; however, by September of 1857, Wilson was keen to utilise his artistic eye and skills of composition to produce these striking images of the Scottish landscape. Wilson would have been mindful to capture the places dearest to Queen Victoria and she would have issued specific instructions pertaining to the locations she wanted to be photographed. On the 29th September 1857, the Queen went riding with Princess Victoria and Prince Alfred writing, with an appreciation of the picturesque, that 'The views over the valley of Braemar, as well as of Loch Nagar and surrounding mountains, quite magnificent. Vicky in ecstasy. About 4 miles from Invercauld, on a high part of the road, we took our luncheon on the heather, & remained sketching, the lights being so exquisite.' RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 29th September 1857