Log jam on the upper Hudson 1891

This photogravure titled, Log Jam on the Upper Hudson, was created by Seneca Ray Stoddard. It offers us a glimpse into the fraught relationship between industrial progress and the natural world. During Stoddard’s time, the logging industry was booming in the Adirondacks. This image is not just a neutral depiction of labor, but an intersection of environmental exploitation and economic growth. It forces us to consider whose interests were prioritized in this era of expansion. The lives of the lumbermen who risked life and limb on these log drives, often remain unseen. There's a tension captured here. The logs are densely packed, almost chaotic, yet there's a strange stillness to the scene. What does it mean to witness such an image today, knowing the environmental costs of such practices? Stoddard's photograph invites us to reflect on our ongoing negotiation between our needs and the well-being of the planet.