College of Arts & Sciences
Nature and the Scenic Gaze
Sa ma ntha Allen COAS History Dr . Llo yd T . Ackert Faculty Mentor History & Politics
Poster Session B
In my STAR project with Dr. Lloyd Ackert, I am investigating the changing relationship between tourists and nature—what they referred to as the ‘scenic gaze’—in 19th century Europe. We gained access to the ‘scenic gaze’ by examining how tourism was portrayed in: guidebooks, literary works, and contemporary writings on transportation and public parks. Each of these sources offered a novel perspective on the scenic gaze. Guidebook authors, for example, described suggestions for travel experiences, detailing step-by-step tourist excursions. Nineteenth century literature taught travelers to idealize their travel experience in a variety of ways, for example, by highlighting a romanticized version of nature. New modes of transportation gave tourists, literally, a novel view of nature—through railroad car windows—and dramatically changed how they interacted with nature while touring. Architects and city planners designed public parks and grand gardens to inspire awe in their visitors, providing tourists a controlled notion of natural beauty. Ultimately though, tourists themselves decided which gaze to use during travel and how to tailor that gaze to their desired travel experience.
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