Portret van M. Graadt van Roggen voor een bevroren waterval, vermoedelijk de Niagarawatervallen 1900 - 1920

This photograph, probably taken by M. Graadt van Roggen, shows him standing in front of a frozen waterfall, maybe Niagara. Looking at it now, I’m wondering what it was like to be there? He must have been freezing! I can almost feel the cold. And what do you think he was thinking as he was taking it? Perhaps he was trying to capture the sublime power of nature, or maybe he just wanted a cool selfie, literally. The muted tones create a sense of stillness, but the composition – with the figure offset to the side – suggests movement and instability. Does this relate to other landscape photography of the time? Maybe, but it’s also speaking to something more universal about our place in the world. We’re all just trying to make sense of this strange and beautiful planet, one snapshot at a time.