A glacier table before 1866

Here is a photograph of a glacier table from Ernest Edwards, captured sometime in the late 19th century. The image centers around a table-like structure. The table is composed of a large rock balanced on a pillar of ice, an intriguing dance between stability and ephemerality. This "table," formed by natural processes on a glacier, echoes the tables found in classical art, spaces of gathering and discourse, symbols of civilization. Yet here, the glacier table is set in a stark, icy expanse. This composition evokes the sensation of memento mori, a reminder of our place in the cyclical nature of existence. It is not merely a geological curiosity but a profound symbol of nature's relentless, creative, and destructive forces. The glacier table's precarious balance between rock and melting ice conveys a sense of impermanence, reminding us of the transient beauty of the natural world.