Enfield Creek, near Ithaca, N.Y. Cascade above Main Fall, near Lucifer's Kitchen 1860 - 1865

This stereo card of Enfield Creek was produced by J.C. Burritt near Ithaca, New York, at an unknown date. The double image, when viewed through a stereoscope, would have created an immersive three-dimensional experience for the viewer, a popular form of entertainment in the late 19th century. It's interesting to note that the landscape is framed here as a site of leisure and scenic beauty. However, this representation elides the history of the land and the Indigenous people who were displaced from it. The reference to "Lucifer's Kitchen" also hints at a cultural obsession with the sublime, a concept that often overlooked the darker aspects of our relationship with nature. The image invites us to consider how landscapes are not just natural formations, but are imbued with cultural meanings and historical narratives. The quietness of the waterfall belies the complex histories embedded within it.