Nave of Fountains Abbey. Chapel of Nine Altars

A monumental stone arch at the end of the nave of Fountains Abbey dominates this image, echoed by the smaller arched portals on either side. The motif of an opening—as seen in doorways, windows, or structural supports—runs through much of the history of architectural photography. The opening not only resonates with the rectangular frame of the photograph itself but serves to pull the viewer’s eye through from one layer of space to another, often as a threshold that joins the exterior and interior. This is a plate from the first photographically illustrated folio of architectural subjects, "A Photographic Tour Among the Abbeys of Yorkshire," printed in 1856.