Trailblazers and Historical Narrative: Considering Mary Vaux Walcott

In this paper, I consider the glacialist, photographer, mountaineer, and botanical illustrator Mary Vaux Walcott (1860–1940) to reflect on the commitments historians make when they use “trailblazer” as a narrative framing device. I argue that such devices should be employed with caution as they can mislead about the richness and complexity of the past. I situate Vaux Walcott's glacier work in its social and material contexts and draw out the specific historical conditions that made it possible.