Gezicht op de Niagarawatervallen before 1841

Friedrich Salathé created this print of the Niagara Falls sometime in the mid-19th century, a period marked by both romanticism and rapid industrial expansion. Salathé's rendering of Niagara is framed within the visual language of his time, which often depicted nature as sublime and overwhelming. Yet, consider the cultural context: as settlers moved westward, landscapes like Niagara became symbolic touchstones in debates about environmental impact. Indigenous peoples had long been connected to this land, but such voices were being increasingly marginalized in favor of an aesthetic appreciation by settlers. What does it mean to depict nature when your presence alters it? This image, while seemingly neutral, participates in a much larger narrative about whose perspectives are valued and whose are erased. The figures gazing at the falls invite us to contemplate our place within this landscape, and to consider the complex histories embedded within it.