Gezicht op de Eiger in de Berner Alpen 1870s - 1880s

Arthur Gabler created this photograph of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps using a black and white printing-out paper process. This period saw photography gaining traction as both an artistic medium and a tool for documentation. Gabler’s choice to photograph the Eiger is noteworthy. The late 19th and early 20th centuries witnessed the growth of alpinism as a popular, yet dangerous, sport. The Eiger, with its infamous north face, quickly became a symbol of both natural beauty and the ultimate challenge. The photograph itself, with its stark contrast and focus on the mountain’s formidable structure, evokes a sense of awe and respect for nature's power. What we see is a vision of the sublime, a popular notion at the time. But it also represents a masculine ideal: the conquering of the natural world. The emotional weight of the image lies in this tension between admiration and the will to dominate. Gabler's photograph captures a moment in time when humanity's relationship with nature was being renegotiated through the lenses of science, sport, and art.