Skis outside of tollhouse at the foot of Smugglers Notch

Marion Post Wolcott
$40.00
Size

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details

Add Custom Frame

Frames ship to U.S. addresses only. Framed prints ship in 2–4 weeks and are final sale. Full framing details
Artist Statement

In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson passed the Embargo Act, prohibiting trade with Great Britain and Canada. This made things very difficult for local Vermonters, who began smuggling goods back and forth with Canada through a natural-made pass in the mountains—hence "Smuggler's Notch". 

Over one hundred years later, Marion Post Wolcott photographed the adventuresome skiers who made their way up Mount Mansfield and the Sterling Range. Though the area would not become a resort until 1956, locals had been enjoying the slopes for decades prior. Shot in 1939, Skis outside of tollhouse at the foot of Smugglers Notch exudes the allure of après ski.
Why We Love It

Skis outside of tollhouse at the foot of Smugglers Notch nails our ideal après-ski ambiance, plus seasonally apropos outdoorsy inspo. This is a charmingly classic ski lodge scene, a seemingly small, shingled structure with a rustic wooden door and plenty of windows for partaking of the view. The slanted roof is rimmed in slender, glistening icicles, like diamonds around a grand dame’s neck. Post-Wolcott included a sliver of the picturesque panorama in her composition, at right. This contextualizes her subject while keeping the viewer firmly grounded beside the building, as if we’ve just schussed up ourselves. The clarity of the view and bright white tones suggest a sunny day, warm enough that you won’t freeze but cold enough that the snow isn’t slushy—quite possibly the perfect skiing conditions. A dozen or so sets of skis slump outside. Is this a midday break, a moment to thaw between runs while cupping a mug of hot cocoa? That you can’t see inside leaves just enough up to the imagination to totally enchant ... Read more on the blog!

Details

+ Limited-edition, exclusive to 20x200
+ Museum quality: archival inks, 100% cotton rag paper unless noted
+ Handcrafted custom-framing is available

Our quoted dimensions are for the size of paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ratio, nor do we crop or resize the artists’ originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing.

Medium

Hahnemuhle Fine Art Baryta

Edition Structure:
8"x10" | edition of 10
11"x14" | edition of 200
16"x20" | edition of 25
Artist - Marion Post Wolcott

Marion Post Wolcott

Marion Post Wolcott is best known for the more than 9,000 photographs she produced for the Farm Security Administration (FSA) from 1938 to 1942. She was the first woman offered a full time FSA appointment. Born in Montclair, N.J. her mother, Marion "Nan" Hoyt Post, was an ardent activist for progressive causes working with Margaret Sanger the founder of Planned Parenthood. 

Before Wolcott became a government photographer, she was at first a teacher. Moving to New York City in 1936 she then earned her living making photographs for magazines and newspapers. Initially she worked freelance, then as a staff photojournalist in 1937 and 1938, Wolcott broke gender barriers in the newspaper darkroom.

Then she worked for the Farm Security Administration. She covered thousands of miles of the United States with her camera to document and publicize the need for federal assistance to those hardest hit by the Great Depression and agricultural blight. Wolcott also contributed 120 color photographs to the FSA when Kodak provided early samples of Kodachrome film to the staff for experimentation.

Drawing on her social concerns and her artistic vision to illustrate issues that needed redress, Wolcott produced an extraordinary number of images and her occupation challenged many social morés about the propriety of young women living away from the family home and traveling on their own. Her artistry and perseverance have inspired many articles, books, and exhibitions.

- Library of Congress