Gezicht op de Nevadawaterval in Yosemite Valley 1887

Editor: Here we have Isaiah West Taber's "Gezicht op de Nevadawaterval in Yosemite Valley," a gelatin-silver print from 1887. It’s quite a dramatic scene, the stark contrast really emphasizes the power of the waterfall. What strikes you about this photograph? Curator: I'm interested in the labour embedded within this image. Consider the arduous process of creating a photograph of this scale in 1887 – the transport of equipment, the developing process reliant on specific chemicals, and the social context that made such landscape photography desirable. Were these prints primarily viewed as documentation, or as aesthetic objects marketed for consumption? Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn't considered the physical effort involved in producing this image at that time. So, you see this photograph as a kind of document about early tourism? Curator: Precisely. And also, I wonder about the representation of nature. What ideologies were at play concerning landscape and ownership in the late 19th century, when settlers moving west did not want to appreciate what they deemed untouched land? Editor: That's so thought-provoking. I suppose viewing this photograph just as a pretty scene misses a lot of its deeper context. It makes you consider its broader circulation as well, from studios in San Francisco and elsewhere in California to national publications! Curator: Exactly. Taber’s photograph provides us with a visual record of both Yosemite’s beauty, and also hints to consider how that image circulated within systems of production and consumption in late 19th century America.