The first snow before 1872

This is an anonymous photograph titled "The first snow". It's a printed image, so we are distanced from the actual snow and the scene itself. But the photograph allows us to see the effects of the snow, and to consider the experience of its creation. Notice how the snow clings, almost sculpturally, to the trees. There's a real contrast between the heavy substance of the snow and the delicacy of the branches beneath. It is interesting to consider the labor that goes into capturing and reproducing such a fleeting moment. In a world before digital photography, each print was a valuable artifact, requiring the work of a skilled photographer and printer. Thinking about the materiality of this image and how the capture of snow on branches transforms a seemingly straightforward landscape into a study of texture, contrast, and the passage of time. It bridges the gap between art, observation, and the simple beauty of nature.