Landschap met spoorweg in het Franconia Notch State Park before 1878

This photograph, from the Franconia Notch State Park, shows the landscape altered by human intervention. It was made using a stereoscope. The stereoscope was a popular form of entertainment in the 19th century. Two nearly identical photographs are mounted side-by-side, and when viewed through a special viewer, they create a three-dimensional effect. It was a form of mass media, made possible by industrial production methods and photographic techniques. The black and white printing process captures a moment in time, freezing it for the viewer. The image is striking, and the way that the railroad has been inserted into the natural environment tells a story of industrial progress. Railroads are about capital, labor, and the human desire to overcome natural obstacles. The stereoscope brings the railroad into your hands, making it accessible. It invites us to reflect on the relationship between technology and the sublime.