Redwoods, Bull Creek Flat, Northern California c. 1960 - 1980

This is a black and white photograph of Redwoods, Bull Creek Flat, Northern California, by Ansel Adams. Adams made many images of the American West. It is interesting to consider these in relation to the expansion of the National Park system, and the conservationist movement of the early and mid twentieth century. At this time, there was increasing awareness of the need to protect the environment from the destructive effects of logging and urban expansion. What is the role of the artist in the development of this environmental consciousness? Adams’s images often suggest a sublime and untouched wilderness. But historians would point out that the idea of untouched wilderness is itself a culturally constructed idea with a specific history. What was the effect of these photographs in shaping popular ideas about nature and preservation? A historian might examine conservation journals, Sierra Club publications, and government documents. Examining the context of the image shows us how the meaning of a work of art is inseparable from the social and institutional settings in which it is produced and viewed.