The Weisshorn from the Rothhorn looking N. by E. c. 1910

Curator: This is George Perry Ashley Abraham's photograph, "The Weisshorn from the Rothhorn looking N. by E." It's a platinum print. Striking, isn’t it? Editor: It does possess a certain grandeur. The composition, with its stark contrast between light and shadow, speaks to the sublime, but also to the colonial impulse to conquer nature. Curator: I see it more in terms of the painstaking process. Platinum prints require incredible precision and mastery of materials. Consider the labor involved in producing this image, from mining platinum to preparing the chemicals. Editor: That labor is mirrored, I think, in the very act of mountain climbing. Who had access to this landscape? Whose stories remain untold? The photo naturalizes a specific, privileged experience. Curator: Perhaps, but it also captures the raw power of the natural world, translated through a chemical process. Editor: Indeed, and it reflects how photographic processes further shaped our understanding and exploitation of these environments. Curator: Food for thought. Editor: Absolutely.