Mountain transportation. Pack mule, Pack and Packers 1871

Editor: This is Timothy O'Sullivan's stereo photograph, "Mountain Transportation. Pack Mule, Pack and Packers," taken around 1871. The figures and mules are so still, so posed. What can you tell me about it? Curator: O'Sullivan's work, especially within expeditions like Wheeler's, brings forth considerations about labor. Who are these men? What's their pay? The photograph itself becomes a commodity, doesn't it? Consider the cost of producing and distributing these images versus the experience of those depicted. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. It makes me think about the ethics of representation, even in something that seems so straightforward. Curator: Exactly. It makes us question whose story is truly being told, and at what cost. Editor: I’m glad I got to hear your perspective today.