Ticonderoga - Lower Falls, North Side 1870 - 1876

Curator: Let's turn our attention to "Ticonderoga - Lower Falls, North Side" by Seneca Ray Stoddard, a photograph created between 1870 and 1876. Editor: The sepia tone immediately evokes a sense of nostalgia, almost like peering into a collective memory. The way the light catches the water is quite beautiful. Curator: Absolutely. Stoddard, aligned with the Hudson River School's aesthetic, uses photography to capture not just the landscape but also the burgeoning industry alongside it. Notice the large mill dominating the scene. Editor: Yes, but it's fascinating how the water, the falls themselves, become this potent symbol. Water signifies cleansing, renewal, but here it’s also harnessed, powering industry, changing the natural landscape to accommodate the needs of the mill. Curator: Precisely. We see a direct intersection of nature and industry, made possible by specific engineering feats. The millrace carefully directs the water, highlighting human intervention within the environment. We also can’t forget this is a stereograph intended for mass consumption, designed for home viewing. The making of it speaks to this expansion. Editor: True. Think about the symbolic weight of this water source, beyond just its mechanical use, the river and waterfall were important geographical places and points of communication, a common symbol of the sublime within American consciousness, now co-opted for the machine age. There's a tension, almost a visual argument about progress embedded within the photograph. Curator: And the placement of that unassuming wooden fence at the foreground adds an intriguing layer of accessibility; suggesting a taming of nature and invitation to contemplate the scene from a defined point of view. Editor: I agree. And even this photographic technique suggests multiple perspectives melded into one, giving us that impression of depth— a fitting symbol for how many different perspectives were reshaping American during the gilded age. Curator: It's incredible to consider the levels of extraction that this one photo presents, from the image itself to its reproduction and the ways that industry harnesses natural resources. Editor: It definitely provides a visual narrative with many different layers about nature, industry and the shift in the culture that surrounded both.