St. Anthony Falls 1863

Editor: So, we're looking at Benjamin Franklin Upton's "St. Anthony Falls," a gelatin-silver print from 1863. What strikes me most is how industrial and almost...scarred the landscape looks. It's a far cry from a pristine natural wonder, wouldn’t you agree? What captures your attention when you view it? Curator: Scarred... that's a powerful word. And apt. To me, it’s a study in contrasts, isn’t it? The romantic ideal of the untouched wilderness meeting the burgeoning force of industrial progress. The water, perpetually in motion, blurring and softening the harsh geometry of the mills and the chaotic debris… Do you feel that tension between nature and industry? It's almost biblical in scope, you know, that feeling of being torn from Eden! Editor: I see what you mean! It’s less a celebration of nature and more a document of its… reshaping. Do you think Upton was making a statement about that tension, or simply recording what he saw? Curator: Ah, now that’s the eternal question, isn’t it? Was he editorializing with his lens? Perhaps a little of both? The very act of selecting this view, with the factories looming on the horizon, suggests an awareness, maybe even a commentary. Or perhaps he simply saw beauty in the raw power of both. After all, he immortalizes nature with his camera! Did Upton succeed in presenting this drama to later viewers? Editor: I hadn't considered the power element. That certainly casts a different light on things. Thinking about how we perceive this photograph, and knowing a little more about that specific historical context… it really changes how it hits me. Curator: Exactly! Art, life… it's all about context, isn’t it? Thanks for offering your own lens onto Upton’s photograph!