Rapids above Upper Falls, Y.N.P., No. 2122

This stereoview by Solomon D. Butcher & Son isolates the rapids that gather force above Yellowstone's Upper Falls. Sequenced later in his series than the falls themselves, the vantage suggests a photographer working upstream from the main attraction. Forgoing a human subject, Butcher employs an uncharacteristically symmetrical composition in which the broad river becomes the sole figure. Its whitewater is softened by a long exposure, transforming the flow into a tranquil veil against the sharp forested banks.