Gezicht op Chamonix en de Mont Blanc before 1880

This is Auguste Garcin's photograph 'View of Chamonix and Mont Blanc'. As we consider Garcin’s photograph, let’s reflect on how landscape photography in the 19th century often served to reinforce a particular vision of nature. One that was untouched, sublime, and implicitly, available for exploration and exploitation. This idea of the sublime, in which nature inspires awe, was often gendered, aligning the masculine with the act of conquering and documenting the natural world. What stories might this landscape tell about local communities whose lives and identities are deeply connected to this place? How does our understanding change when we consider their perspectives? Perhaps thinking about it this way helps us to see this image as more than a picturesque scene, inviting us to reflect on the complex interplay between culture, nature, and identity.