Woodstock, Vermont
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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
The first ski tow in the United States began operating in Woodstock, Vermont, on January 28, 1934. Five years later, Marion Post Wolcott came into town and photographed this simple image of a car with skis strapped to the back of it. How are these two events connected? You’d be surprised.
While skiing for transportation has been around for thousands of years, it took until the mid-19th century for recreational skiing to appear—first in Norway, later in the Alps, and finally popularized in North America. By the dawn of the 20th century, skiing had emerged as a popular leisure option for those affluent enough to participate. However, there was one big frustration among skiers: the trek uphill after a blissful downhill run. Over in Europe, the problem was eventually solved with ski lifts or cable cars. In New England, however, it was a different story. Dealing with small, bumpy hills and tiny ski towns made it difficult to imagine building—let alone funding!—these high-tech solutions to the uphill climb. Instead, the small town of Woodstock, Vermont came up with a new solution: the ski tow. The ski tow was a rope, a series of pulleys, and a motor, set up so that skiers could grab onto the rope and be pulled up to the top of the hill in a single minute. That tow became the first continuously operating ski tow in the United States.
The full title of Marion Post Wolcott’s photograph is actually “Woodstock, Vermont has nine ski towns and is generally very crowded with skiers on weekends”. Shortly after the ski tow was invented, ski tourism began to grow in Vermont. It only increased during and after World War II when the general mindset toward leisure activity shifted—access to recreational time was celebrated as one of the freedoms this country fought for. The popularity of ski tourism has continued to grow steadily to this day, bringing in $750 million dollars for the state each year.
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