Steamer R.E. Lee Racing with Natches When Nearing St. Louis 1868 - 1872

Curator: Welcome. We are looking at Robert Benecke's gelatin-silver print "Steamer R.E. Lee Racing with Natchez When Nearing St. Louis," created between 1868 and 1872. Editor: There's something quite romantic about this sepia-toned scene, even with all that smoke billowing from the steamboats. It really emphasizes their industrial power slicing through the water. Curator: Benecke's photograph immortalizes a moment deeply entrenched in the socio-economic landscape of the time. The steamboat race wasn't just a spectacle; it reflected the competitive spirit driving commerce and shaping river communities. The image helped cement the R.E. Lee as a national icon of speed and modern technology. Editor: Absolutely. Consider the amount of coal shovelled, the mechanics and labour involved in producing and running a machine like this. Benecke is showing us a romantic scene, but underneath, it's about fuel, industry, labour and consumption. What does capturing that competition do to or for these steamboat companies? Curator: Indeed. Photography itself, by this period, had become an agent of both documentation and promotion. Images of the R.E. Lee, and steamboats in general, served as symbols of progress. There was significant investment into inland waterways. These photographic prints helped galvanize regional identities and aspirations. Editor: Thinking of the materials, these gelatin silver prints are beautiful objects in themselves. Looking at it from the perspective of materials, silver carries an immense significance, and a rich industrial supply chain to be part of an object made from it, produced for mass consumption like this one. Curator: Looking back, it's also interesting to note the relatively young public consumption of art, made easier by new technologies like photography. Editor: Precisely! The technology behind these photographs and ships are completely related: steam engines and photographic processes both changed rapidly in this era and expanded rapidly. Well, this print gave me lots to think about. Curator: Likewise. It reveals a crucial nexus between technological advancements, public spectacle, and commercial ambition in post-Civil War America.