Untitled (landscape with trees) c. 1855

Curator: This is André Giroux's "Untitled (landscape with trees)," a photograph currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like peering into a forgotten dream, all soft focus and hushed tones, doesn't it? Melancholy clings to it like morning dew. Curator: The albumen print process lends itself to that mood. Consider the labor involved, the meticulous layering of egg whites and silver salts... Editor: Mmm, a slow reveal in the darkroom. You know, it makes me wonder about Giroux's state of mind. Was he drawn to the solitude, the silence of the forest? Curator: Or perhaps he was simply documenting the changing landscape and the encroachment of industry, using photography as a tool. Editor: Maybe both? It's a little sad to consider the trees just as raw material, though. Curator: Agreed, but it is a record of place. Editor: Well, I think I will wander off and hug a tree now. This photograph made me want to do it. Curator: And I'll be over here contemplating the social implications of early photographic processes. It was good to chat!