Gezicht op Terrapin Tower aan de Niagarawatervallen 1860s - 1870s

This stereograph, made by Platt D. Babbitt, presents a view of Terrapin Tower at Niagara Falls. The photographic process itself is key here, a chemical dance between light-sensitive materials and the world. Stereographs like this one were mass-produced, intended for popular consumption. Babbitt operated a photography studio right at Niagara Falls for decades, capitalizing on the burgeoning tourism industry. He ingeniously made his living documenting other people's leisure. Notice the people in the image, posed for the camera. They become part of the spectacle, and the photograph flattens the experience into a commodity. These images were immensely popular in their day, bringing the wonder of Niagara to countless homes. Yet, they also remind us of the commodification of nature, and the way photographic processes can transform experience into something to be bought and sold. This shifts our understanding and helps us understand its cultural and historical significance.