South Inlet, Raquette Lake 1893

Editor: Here we have Seneca Ray Stoddard's "South Inlet, Raquette Lake," a gelatin silver print from 1893. It has an almost eerie feel to it. It’s like a still from a gothic novel. I’m curious about how this piece fits into the context of its time. What do you see in this work, considering the history around it? Curator: Looking at "South Inlet, Raquette Lake" through a historical lens, it speaks volumes about the evolving relationship between Americans and the natural world in the late 19th century. The Hudson River School aesthetic romanticized nature. Editor: Right, the sublime and all that? Curator: Exactly, and photographs like these democratized that vision. As industrialization surged, wilderness became both a refuge and a resource. Stoddard's work, and the wider tourism industry that it supported, helped shape public perception and use of places like the Adirondacks. Do you think this image promotes conservation or commodification of the land? Editor: I’d say it is a complex duality – there's a desire to protect this idealized vision, but that very act of promoting it invites development. I hadn't really considered that before! Thanks! Curator: The photographic technology also speaks to an impulse to dominate space and time, through framing the image; ultimately capturing and transforming something ephemeral. Food for thought.