Fall Creek, Ithaca, N.Y. 1st, or Ithaca Fall, from bridge, 150 feet high 1860 - 1865

This stereograph, "Fall Creek, Ithaca, N.Y." by J.C. Burritt, invites us to consider how nature was framed and consumed in the 19th century. During this time, rapid industrialization and westward expansion shaped both the American landscape and its representation. Photography played a crucial role, documenting the "untouched" wilderness even as it was being transformed. This image of Fall Creek captures a romanticized view of nature, emphasizing its sublimity and picturesque qualities. But let's think about what isn't shown. Who had access to these images and the leisure to appreciate them? How did this romantic vision erase the presence and rights of Indigenous peoples, who had a deep, reciprocal relationship with the land? This image, while seemingly benign, participates in a complex history of representation, power, and the construction of American identity in relation to the natural world. It invites us to reflect on our own relationship to nature and the stories we tell about it.