Intervale in Winter 1899

William B. Post created this photograph, Intervale in Winter, at the turn of the century, using platinum print. It presents an apparently untouched snowy field, bordered by trees in the distance. Photography in this period was rapidly gaining acceptance as a fine art. This was due, in part, to practitioners like Post who sought to elevate the medium through painterly effects. This can be seen in the soft focus and delicate tonal range. Rather than capture the world with mechanical precision, Post evokes a mood, more in line with impressionist painting. In the United States, the late 19th century was a time of rapid industrialization and urbanization. The depiction of quiet, rural scenes such as this, reveals a desire to escape the noise and chaos of modern life and harks back to a simpler vision of America. To understand the artistic choices made by Post, we can look at photography journals and exhibition reviews from his time. These help us to appreciate how the cultural values and social conditions influenced the art of the past.