Gezicht op het Oeschinenmeer in Kandersteg, Zwitserland before 1899

Jean Moeglé created this photograph of the Oeschinen Lake in Kandersteg, Switzerland. It’s hard to date, but likely made in the late 19th or early 20th century. This image encapsulates the romantic ideal of the Swiss landscape, a perspective eagerly consumed by tourists at the time. Notice the placement of the modest wooden huts and grazing cows, which add a touch of pastoral charm. By emphasizing the harmony between humans and nature, the photograph presents an idealized version of rural life, omitting any signs of industrialization or social tension. The ascendance of landscape photography coincided with the development of tourism and an increasing interest in the natural world. Institutions such as travel agencies, hotels, and postcard publishers capitalized on these picturesque views, using them to promote Switzerland as a destination for leisure and recreation. As historians, our task is to investigate the interplay between art, society, and culture through close looking, archival research and critical analysis. The image of Switzerland as a peaceful idyll has been carefully constructed.