James Cockburn. Detail. The Falls of Niagara. (1857). aquatint
In An Englishwoman in America (1856), Bird finds the view of Niagara Falls marred by picnic detritus.
On first impression, Bird was astonished at the falls and the mist’s power and the roar. But a closer look revealed that the falls are “disfigured,” for “Not far from where I stood, “ she relates, “the members of a picnic party were flirting and laughing hilariously, throwing chicken bones and peach-stones over the cliff, drinking champagne and soda-water.” The sublimity of the scene is reduced to picnic trash.
Featured Image: Platt Babbett. Niagara Falls (18504), http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tr22c.html