Wetterhorn, Mittelhorn, Bernese Oberland 1908

Curator: This photograph, titled "Wetterhorn, Mittelhorn, Bernese Oberland," was created by A. G. Wehrli. Editor: The image evokes a feeling of sublime isolation, doesn’t it? The monochrome palette emphasizes the harsh, almost lunar landscape. Curator: Indeed. Considering its potential creation around 1908, it's important to acknowledge the colonial and scientific contexts intertwined with landscape photography at that time, particularly in representing nature as something to be conquered or studied. Editor: Those stark peaks definitely carry a visual weight of permanence, almost defiance. Mountains are often coded as masculine symbols—power, immovability... Curator: Precisely. These visual tropes reinforce narratives of domination, reflecting historical power dynamics of who had access to, and control over, such imagery and the lands they depicted. Editor: I hadn't considered that angle. Thanks, I'll be thinking about that aspect long after we leave.