Lauteraarhorn, Schreckhorn, Kamm, Bernese Oberland 1925

Curator: This is a photograph titled "Lauteraarhorn, Schreckhorn, Kamm, Bernese Oberland" by A. G. Wehrli. It captures a stark mountain landscape. Editor: My first thought? Majestic, but also kind of chilling. The contrast between the snow and rock is so sharp. Curator: Absolutely, the black and white tones emphasize the severe environment. Considering the likely process—perhaps gelatin silver—there's a very deliberate crafting of light and shadow. Editor: And the human element is totally absent. It’s all about this raw, geological force. I wonder about the labor involved in getting this shot, up there in the cold. Curator: A good point. It invites us to consider our relationship with nature, maybe even our insignificance in the face of it all. It makes you wonder about the artist's perspective, the effort to capture this. Editor: It does, and maybe also the environmental costs of photographic expeditions in those times. Anyway, I am grateful to have seen it, and to be warm.