Daniel / Oliver Gallery in collaboration with Snow Peak New York is proud to present: Camping, The Great Outdoors, and the Coming of Spring. Featuring images of early road trippers, car campers, and outdoor adventurers traversing distinctly American landscapes. These images tell the story of changing seasons; snow melting, grass growing, and flowers blooming.
The turn of the 20th century saw a boom in camping as a recreational activity in the United States. The establishment of the U.S. Forest Service in 1905 and the National Park Service in 1916 increased awareness of America’s natural spaces. This awareness was nurtured by the growing popularity of affordable automobiles which allowed access to further afield campgrounds previously unreachable to all but the most rugged of adventurers. While people still regularly slept in tents, often incorporating their cars into the structure, the invention of the camping trailer wasn’t far behind the automobile. Throughout this collection of photographs, produced by the Brown Brothers photo agency, automobiles can be seen in the background, as much a part of the landscape as the mountains and the trees.
The camping photos will be offered in conjunction with the works of Walt Dyke. Walt Dyke [1914-1995] was first and foremost a scientist, inventor, and teacher. Despite his great skill, he considered his photographic work simply as a labor of love. Dyke’s deft use of gels and filters rendered his images in deep, precise tones. Dyke captured images of his friends and family skiing and exploring Mount Hood and Mount Shuksan and many other notable peaks throughout the Pacific North-West. He was even able to secure a small publishing deal with a producer of postcards and calendars. While he did not amass a following or profit in any significant way through his photography, he remained prolific throughout his life.
The final group of photos that make up this selection is from The “Wish You Were Here” campaign which was a large-scale project undertaken by the Union Pacific Railroad. In an effort to promote rail travel West, the company highlighted inviting aspects of the American outdoors, and exciting locations which were accessible U.P. Rail. The campaign increased awareness of the immense variety of micro-climates in this vast country and promoted the idea that experiencing the natural landscape was now easier than ever before.
Together, the “Wish You Were Here!” campaign, Walt Dyke’s landscapes, and the Auto-Camping photographs depict a relationship to camping and the great outdoors that people have grown to appreciate throughout the course of modern history; the idea of sneaking away from the hustle and bustle of city life to find peace and solace in nature.