Untitled [sand dunes] c. 1915

Willard Worden made this photograph, likely in the late 19th or early 20th century, using a process that was then at the cutting edge. Photography, even early photography, represented a radical departure from the traditions of painting and sculpture. The camera offered a seemingly objective record of the world, made by a machine, not by hand. But of course, the photographer still had considerable agency. Consider how Worden has framed this composition to emphasize the rippling patterns in the sand, leading our eye toward the horizon. It’s a study in texture, and the subtle tonal gradations that could be achieved through photographic chemistry. Worden printed the image in a warm sepia tone, which adds to the timeless quality of the scene. In his time, photography was still finding its place among the established arts. By mastering its technical aspects and deploying it with a careful eye, Worden helped to make the case for photography as a fine art in its own right.