This photo, entitled The Lady of Shalott, was taken by Henry Peach Robinson in 1861. It was illustrated after a poem by Alfred Tennyson. Robinson thought of everything for this photo. He created the barge, he set the model's hair, found the clothes, took the photo on a rainy day so the trees had a sadness to them, etc. Everything was to follow the poem. The only difference was the spelling of the title on the boat. When the photo was exhibited, people criticized that the model's position wasn't logical, that there weren't ripples in the water to show the movement of the boat...So the audience didn't understand that the photo was an illustration based on a poem not a realistic photo based on real life. After the reaction of viewers, Robinson realized that he did not succeed in showing a photographic illustration because the audience could not imagine it properly. It was believed at that time that a photograph must have a literal meaning. Robinson also realized that he should not create any more illustrative photographs. However his photograph "exemplifies the limitations of photography as an illustrative medium."
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