View of Interlaken and the Jungfrau c. 1860s

Curator: This is Francis Frith's "View of Interlaken and the Jungfrau." The English photographer captured this landscape sometime in the 19th century. Editor: It feels so peaceful, almost dreamy. The way the mountains loom over the town... it's like a gentle giant watching over everything. Curator: Frith was a master of capturing the sublime. Consider the albumen print process itself. Each step from coating to sensitizing, printing, and toning, all reliant on the material properties of the egg white, silver salts, and gold. Editor: I love how the tones pull me in, the way the light shifts and settles. The town nestled below feels so safe, so sheltered by those monumental forms. It makes me want to be there, breathing in that crisp mountain air. Curator: Indeed, this image speaks to the growing fascination with landscape and tourism in the 19th century, as advancements in transportation made such vistas more accessible. Editor: Absolutely, it's like a postcard from another era, but with a soul. Curator: A convergence of materiality, technique, and social context. Editor: Beautifully put.