Fall Creek Ithaca Cascades above Irish Hammer Fall 1860 - 1865

Editor: This is "Fall Creek, Ithaca. Cascades above Irish Hammer Fall" by J.C. Burritt, a silver print daguerreotype from the 1860s. There's something incredibly serene and almost otherworldly about this image of the cascading waterfall. What’s your interpretation of it? Curator: This image, made for a stereoscope, speaks volumes about the changing relationship between Americans and their environment in the mid-19th century. The Hudson River School was hugely influential and helped people see wild spaces in an appealing light, creating tourism and a real push for parks. How does that affect the popular perception of our interaction with nature at the time? Editor: So, it's almost a promotional tool for experiencing nature firsthand and, ultimately, owning that experience somehow. It is in stereo after all - supposed to put you right there! Curator: Exactly. This photograph participates in a broader visual culture that romanticized the wilderness, and made accessible by modern technology like the railroad and camera. The image could become a commodity, travel a display of wealth, an adventure brought home. We see it now, mounted for a stereoscope; this was not a document of experience but part of that experience's visual vocabulary. Does this change your view of that sense of serenity that you mentioned before? Editor: It definitely adds a layer of complexity. It is no longer such an innocent image. Learning the historical context changes how I interpret the tranquility, because it reflects societal motivations that go far beyond a simple appreciation of natural beauty. Curator: Right. Understanding that historical positioning highlights how art can both reflect and influence societal values concerning nature and the pursuit of leisure. Editor: Thanks! Now I see it's a bit of a commercial enterprise disguised as art! Curator: My pleasure; it seems that understanding has broadened your perspective of photography from the 19th century.