Untitled (view of the White Mountains, New Hampshire) 1854

Editor: This photograph by John Adams Whipple captures a view of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The tones are quite muted, and it evokes a sense of quiet isolation. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It’s crucial to recognize how landscape photography of this era participates in the construction of national identity and Manifest Destiny. Consider how images like these encouraged westward expansion and shaped perceptions of the American wilderness. Whose land is being represented here, and who benefits from its visual appropriation? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered it in that context. Curator: Think about how photography became a tool for both documentation and ideological framing. How did the romantic idealization of nature obscure the realities of colonization and resource extraction? Editor: I see what you mean. It makes me look at the image in a new way. Curator: Precisely. By engaging with the historical and political dimensions of this work, we gain a deeper understanding of its complex relationship to American history. Editor: Thanks, I'll keep that in mind as I continue to study photography.