From the Zmutt Glacier, The Ober Gabelhorn, Pennine Alps 1908

Curator: George Perry Ashley Abraham captured this striking view, titled "From the Zmutt Glacier, The Ober Gabelhorn, Pennine Alps." It's a silver print mounted on card, held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The overwhelming feeling I get is one of foreboding. The monochrome palette, the sheer scale of the mountains, everything feels monumental and a little threatening. Curator: The mountain as symbol has long represented the sublime, doesn't it? Abraham's choice to photograph from the glacier enhances this sense of awe, the delicate ice juxtaposed against the rock's permanence. Editor: It's also about access, isn’t it? Who gets to experience these spaces and who gets to record them? Consider the socio-political implications of landscape photography during this era. Curator: Absolutely, the camera here becomes a tool for imposing a certain perspective, shaping our understanding of the natural world through a specific lens. Editor: Indeed, and it's important to reflect on the power dynamics inherent in this visual representation. It moves us to question whose stories are being told. Curator: I appreciate how this piece allows us to consider the lasting symbolic power of mountains and their complex cultural meanings. Editor: I am reminded that even sublime landscapes are not apolitical; they are entwined with histories of access, representation, and ultimately, power.