IJsgrot bij de American Falls 1866 - 1910

Editor: So, here we have "Ice Cave in front of American Fall" a gelatin silver print made sometime between 1866 and 1910 by George E. Curtis. It's, well, icy! It's interesting how it’s presented as a stereograph; you’re almost stepping into this fragile, temporary space. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Considering Curtis's stereograph, let’s examine the production of this consumable image. It wasn't merely about artistic expression but the creation of a commodity for mass consumption. The gelatin-silver process itself—what does that materiality signify for you in understanding access to image production during this era? Editor: It makes me think about how photography was becoming more accessible, moving from specialized practice to something everyday people could experience through viewing and possibly even creation. The industrialization of image-making, almost. Curator: Exactly! Consider also the labor involved: the mining of silver, the manufacturing of photographic plates, the distribution networks to bring these images to Niagara Falls tourists. Does this commodification detract from the sublime nature of the landscape, or does it enhance our understanding of our relationship to it? Think of the photographer themselves, were they laborers or artists? Editor: I see your point. The beauty and wonder of the falls were being packaged and sold as an experience. It’s making me reconsider my initial reading; the image is less about the solitary sublime and more about industry meeting nature, right? It is also a record of environmental ephemerality. Curator: Precisely. Looking at photographic series this way allows us to unravel complex economic, environmental, and labor narratives inherent in what seems like a simple landscape image. Editor: I’m leaving with more insight on how even seemingly straightforward landscape photography could be loaded with meanings related to labor and the economics of image production.