Inlet Upper Ausable Lake-Mount Haystack 1891

This photograph, Inlet Upper Ausable Lake-Mount Haystack, was created by Seneca Ray Stoddard, an American landscape photographer. It's presented within the pages of what appears to be a report, likely printed using mass production methods like offset lithography. The photograph itself is a silver gelatin print, a process that had become widely adopted for its relative ease and reproducibility. The rich blacks and subtle tonal gradations visible in the print were achieved through careful chemical processing. But the key to this image is not just the chemistry involved, but the social context. The image documents a landscape being shaped by emerging tourist economies. The photograph and its reproduction in the report speak to the commodification of nature, turning it into a consumable image for a public increasingly interested in leisure and outdoor recreation. Labor is visible here through its absence: the hard work of opening up this landscape for tourism is quietly elided, leaving only the pristine view. By considering the processes, labor, and social context embedded in this photograph, we can appreciate the significance of materials and making, which challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.