Gezicht op Sabbath Day Point, met op de achtergrond Lake George 1870 - 1880

This is Seneca Ray Stoddard’s photographic view of Sabbath Day Point, Lake George. Stoddard, born in 1844, lived during a time of profound social and environmental change, as industrialization reshaped the American landscape. The deliberate framing of the landscape here evokes a sense of tranquility that was threatened by the expansion of industry and tourism. Stoddard’s work tapped into a growing desire for connection with nature, even as that nature was being commodified. The “view” is a carefully constructed experience and aimed to define how people encountered these spaces. This image, then, is not just a record of a place, but a mediation of our relationship with the land. In his images, Stoddard romanticizes the rural landscape, glossing over the complexities of race, class, and labor that shaped these environments. He chose to focus on the aesthetic appeal of the region for tourists, neglecting the stories and experiences of the people who lived and worked there. What stories are not being told in this beautiful, but one-sided, view?