Gletsjer en de ijsstroom van Upernavik before 1888

This is a printed image of a photograph, showing the Gletsjer en de ijsstroom van Upernavik, or the Glacier and ice stream of Upernavik. Taken by an anonymous photographer, it offers a glimpse into a remote region, likely Greenland, during an era of heightened scientific exploration. The image’s stark monochrome palette and composition, emphasizing the scale of the glacial landscape, evoke the sublime, a concept popular among European and American audiences who consumed landscape imagery at this time. But beyond aesthetics, such images also played a role in shaping public understanding, and perhaps also exploitation, of far-flung territories. Research into the publishing context of this image, perhaps in a geographical journal or scientific expedition report, could reveal more about its original purpose. Understanding art always depends on the social and institutional context surrounding its creation and circulation.