Request for clarification of the case where 'the image isn't discussed by the surrounding text, but it has some relevance'

The HTML5 spec currently states [1]:

"In some cases, the image isn't discussed by the surrounding text, but
it has some relevance. Such images are decorative, but still form part
of the content. In these cases, the alt attribute must be present but
its value must be the empty string.

Examples where the image is purely decorative despite being relevant
would include things like a photo of the Black Rock City landscape in
a blog post about an event at Burning Man, or an image of a painting
inspired by a poem, on a page reciting that poem. The following
snippet shows an example of the latter case (only the first verse is
included in this snippet):

<h1>The Lady of Shalott</h1>
<p><img src="shalott.jpeg" alt=""></p>
<p>On either side the river lie<br>
Long fields of barley and of rye,<br>
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;<br>
And through the field the road run by<br>
To many-tower'd Camelot;<br>
And up and down the people go,<br>
Gazing where the lilies blow<br>
Round an island there below,<br>
The island of Shalott.</p>"




So would the example below be non-conforming?

<h1>The Lady of Shalott</h1>
<p><img src="shalott.jpeg" alt="Painting of woman in a small boat on a
river in the countryside. A tapestry trails behind her in the water
and there is a lantern, candles and a crucifix on the prow of the
boat. She wears a white dress and has long loose hair."></p>
<p>On either side the river lie<br>
Long fields of barley and of rye,<br>
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;<br>
And through the field the road run by<br>
To many-tower'd Camelot;<br>
And up and down the people go,<br>
Gazing where the lilies blow<br>
Round an island there below,<br>
The island of Shalott.</p>"

[1]http://www.w3.org/html/wg/html5/#a-purely


-- 

Stevef

Received on Monday, 18 August 2008 09:29:35 UTC