Search the Collection - Addison Gallery

☰ Open Filter >>

Howes Brothers , b. active ca. 1880-1907
printed by Alan Newman, 1979-80

#12 4243c Viewing Platform

1882-1907
5 15/16 in. x 9 1/2 in. (15.08 cm x 24.13 cm)

Medium and Support: platinum and palladium print

Credit Line: museum purchase

Accession Number: 1983.20.12

Commentary

Based in western Massachusetts, the Howes brothers—Alvah, Walter, and George—traveled throughout rural New England from the 1880s to about 1902, documenting its residents, architecture, industry, and countryside. In this image, the picturesque panorama that spreads before the observation deck appears to be at man's disposal. Bending to technology, nature offers herself up to the gaze of the telescope that rests on the table. The deck’s temple-like Grecian columns echo the upright evergreens that surround it, suggesting harmony between man and nature. At the same time, the slim precision of the manmade shafts contrast with the spiky, irregular surface of the natural tree trunks. Ironically, this image was created at a time when the pastoral landscape, threatened by advancing industry, was disappearing. The popularity of this image reflects a desire for places of respite amidst industrialization and a growing wariness of the toll on the American landscape of the so-called march of progress.

Exhibition List

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

New England Reflections: The Howes Photographs 1882-1907 Ashfield Historical Society , 6/18/1982 - 7/31/1982
Point of View: Landscapes from the Addison Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/16/1992 - 12/20/1992
Contemplating the View: American Landscape Photographs Addison Gallery of American Art , 9/8/2018 - 3/3/2019

Related Parent(s) Click a record to view

Private Views of the Howes Brothers
1983.20.1-12

Related Siblings(s) Click a record to view

Image of #1 W40-4 Chicken with Egg Shaped Wood Pile

#1 W40-4 Chicken with Egg Shaped Wood Pile
1983.20.1

#10 118e Pug
1983.20.10

#11 686c Rooster on a Pedestal
1983.20.11

Image of #2 VH6 First Garden, Albert Crafts, Jr., Ashfield, Massachusetts

#2 VH6 First Garden, Albert Crafts, Jr., Ashfield, Massachusetts
1983.20.2

#3 1668b Pond Scene
1983.20.3

#4 4048a Camping Out
1983.20.4

Image of #5 V9841 Little Switzerland, Ashfield, Massachusetts

#5 V9841 Little Switzerland, Ashfield, Massachusetts
1983.20.5

#6 5356b A Cool Shaded Spot
1983.20.6

#7 927d Snapshot
1983.20.7

#8 6556c Steadying the Rocker
1983.20.8

Image of #9 2221c Hat, Handkerchief, and an Empty Chair

#9 2221c Hat, Handkerchief, and an Empty Chair
1983.20.9

Portfolio List Click a portfolio name to view all the objects in that portfolio

This object is a member of the following portfolios:

Exhibitions: Contemplating the View: American Landscape Photographs

Your current search criteria is: Object is "#12 4243c Viewing Platform".

This site facilitates access to the art and artifact collections by providing digitally searchable records for thousands objects. The information on these pages is not definitive or comprehensive. We are regularly adding artworks and updating research online. We welcome your comments.