Mirror View of the Three Brothers, Yosemite 1870 - 1874

Editor: Here we have Carleton Watkins's albumen print, "Mirror View of the Three Brothers, Yosemite," created between 1870 and 1874. I'm immediately struck by the perfect symmetry and the way the reflection almost creates a sense of floating. What do you see in this piece that I might be missing? Curator: It’s a very evocative image. Watkins, like many photographers of the American West, was instrumental in shaping the public's perception of the landscape. The scale and grandeur seen here directly influenced movements like the establishment of national parks, arguably spurred by a desire to preserve an idea of sublime nature as 'American.' Does the romanticism resonate with you, or does something else catch your eye? Editor: It definitely has that epic quality! But also, knowing that this was taken so soon after the Civil War, I wonder about its intended audience. Was it purely about preservation? Curator: That’s an excellent point. The photographs circulated widely, both as art and as promotional material for westward expansion. Images of seemingly limitless resources obscured the realities of displacement and conflict that accompanied settlement. We have to consider whose story this image is telling, and, crucially, whose it is omitting. Considering the legacy of westward expansion, what responsibilities do artists and institutions bear when depicting landscapes? Editor: That’s a perspective shift. It’s not just a pretty picture of nature, but part of a larger narrative with complex implications. Curator: Precisely! Watkins’s photography sits at a fascinating intersection of art, politics, and environmental consciousness. I'm taking away that its beauty also serves as a powerful, if complicated, historical document.