Mt. Dent d'Herens, Zermatt District c. 1885

Editor: So, this is Vittorio Sella's photograph of Mt. Dent d'Herens. The scale is just immense, and the climbers in the foreground really emphasize that. What does this photograph say to you? Curator: It speaks to the fraught relationship between humans and the environment, especially in the context of colonialism and scientific exploration. Who benefits from conquering nature, and at what cost to both the environment and indigenous communities? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. It's a lot deeper than just a pretty mountain. Curator: Photography, especially landscape photography, has always been tied to power and control, hasn't it? The act of capturing and framing nature is inherently political. Editor: I see what you mean. I'll definitely look at landscape photography differently now.