Ingang van de Gotthardtunnel bij Göschenen 1895 - 1930

This photograph shows the entrance to the Gotthard Tunnel near Göschenen, and was made using traditional photographic processes. The image itself is a testament to human endeavor. The tunnel, a feat of 19th-century engineering, represents the industrial age's ambition to conquer nature. The photograph, with its tonal range and sharp detail, captures not only the physical landscape but also the transformative impact of industrialization. Consider the labor involved in both the tunnel's construction and the photograph's creation. The miners who carved through the Alps, and the photographer who meticulously captured this scene. This anonymous photograph can be seen as a document of human endeavor, and its complicated relationship to the natural world. It reminds us to consider the social and material histories embedded within the image.