Buttermilk Creek, Ithaca, N.Y. Cascade above 4th Fall 1860 - 1865

J.C. Burritt captured Buttermilk Creek in Ithaca, New York using photography, a relatively new medium at the time. This stereograph, with its double image on a card, invites viewers into a three-dimensional experience of the natural landscape. Photography’s rise in the 19th century was deeply intertwined with industrialization and expanding consumer culture. The process of creating photographs demanded a specific type of labor, from preparing the light-sensitive materials to developing and printing the final image. It democratized image-making, taking it out of the hands of highly trained artists and putting it within the reach of those who could master the chemical and mechanical processes involved. The popularity of stereographs speaks to this broader trend, providing mass-produced, accessible versions of scenic views that previously would only have been available through painting or printmaking. This image, then, not only presents a view of nature but also reflects the changing landscape of artistic production and consumption in an era defined by technological advancement.