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Franklin White , (May 17, 1813–Aug 29, 1874)

Glen Ellis Falls

1858
6 1/2 in. x 5 3/16 in. (16.51 cm x 13.18 cm)

Medium and Support: Salted paper print

Credit Line: Museum purchase

Accession Number: 1988.10

Commentary

Photography’s arrival in the United States in 1839 swiftly led to the establishment of numerous photographic studios in the eastern half of the country. Practitioners of the new medium focused their cameras on scenic vistas of American wilderness that had thus far been portrayed only by painters. Combining pictorial conventions with a documentary accuracy unique to the camera, photographers recorded the untouched terrain of Niagara Falls, the Hudson River valley, the Adirondacks, and the White Mountains, playing an important role in both industrialization and shaping mythologies about the American wilderness.
Trained as a painter, Franklin White’s salted paper prints of solitary figures contemplating the flume at Franconia Notch and intrepid hikers atop a snowy Mount Washington highlight the wild topography. They also reflect the region’s growing popularity as a tourist destination, driven by the opening of the railroad in 1851 and the development of resort hotels.

Exhibition List

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

American Photography from the Permanent Collection in Celebration of the 50th An Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/13/1989 - 12/18/1989
Point of View: Landscapes from the Addison Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/16/1992 - 12/20/1992
Mount Washington: The Crown of New England Currier Museum of Art , 10/1/2016 - 1/16/2017
Contemplating the View: American Landscape Photographs Addison Gallery of American Art , 9/8/2018 - 3/3/2019
Learning to Look: The Addison at 90 Addison Gallery of American Art , 5/8/2021 - 2/6/2022

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