Gezicht op een waterval van de Ammonoosuc before 1878

This stereograph of Upper Falls of the Ammonoosuc was created by the Bierstadt Brothers. Note the photograph’s composition, dominated by a dramatic, plunging waterfall and the textural contrasts between the rough, dark rocks and the smooth, reflective water surface. The stereoscopic format, presenting two slightly different perspectives of the same scene, invites a deeper engagement with the illusion of three-dimensionality, typical of nineteenth-century landscape photography. The photograph functions as a signifier of the picturesque aesthetic valued during the period. This aesthetic not only reflects contemporary ideas about nature but also questions human perception and representation. In essence, the image embodies a tension between observed reality and constructed representation, revealing how the very act of capturing nature is imbued with cultural and aesthetic ideologies. This invites us to question how photography, as a medium, actively shapes our understanding and appreciation of the natural world.