Frozen Falls c. 1880

Charles Bierstadt captured this albumen silver print, “Frozen Falls,” sometime in the 19th century. During this time, landscape photography intertwined with colonial expansion and romantic notions of the sublime. Bierstadt's photograph presents a vision of untamed nature, yet it omits the displacement and dispossession of Indigenous peoples from this very land. Niagara Falls became a popular tourist destination in the 19th century, attracting people from all social classes. The commercialization of the Falls contrasts with the sublime experience one might have in the face of nature's imposing power. Here, the frozen landscape is devoid of people, prompting contemplation about the relationship between nature, representation, and cultural memory. Photographs like "Frozen Falls" not only shaped perceptions of the American landscape, but also contributed to a narrative of American identity that often obscures the complex histories of race, class, and environmental exploitation.