Echo City, from Witch Rocks, U.P.P.R., Utah c. 1870s

Editor: This is William Henry Jackson’s photograph, "Echo City, from Witch Rocks, U.P.P.R., Utah." It's a landscape, but the rock formations in the foreground feel almost architectural. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Jackson was commissioned by the railroad. These images weren't just landscapes; they were promotional tools. The "Witch Rocks" become a spectacle, tamed by the very act of photographing them. Editor: So, the wildness is being packaged and sold? Curator: Exactly. Consider the title, "Echo City." It hints at civilization, domesticating the raw Western landscape for potential settlers and investors. Editor: That shifts my understanding completely! It's less about pure observation and more about persuasive representation. Curator: Precisely. Jackson's photographs played a significant role in shaping perceptions of the West and facilitating its development, for better or worse.