Personen beklimmen een bergwand nabij Grindelwald 1873 - 1888

Arthur Gabler created this photograph, titled 'Personen beklimmen een bergwand nabij Grindelwald' using a dry-plate process. In the late 19th century, the Alps became a popular destination for European tourists. This image captures that burgeoning fascination with the sublime and the picturesque. Yet, consider the narratives that go unacknowledged here. Who were the people constructing these pathways up the mountains? What was their relationship to this landscape? Were they local guides, or laborers? Mountaineering, then as now, wasn't just about individual achievement; it was deeply entwined with class and access. While wealthy tourists sought adventure, others were building the infrastructure to enable those experiences. This photograph invites us to reflect on the complex interplay between exploration, labor, and the romanticized vision of nature. It is a window into a moment in time that also encourages us to consider whose stories are often left out of the frame.