Central portion of Cañon de Chelle, New Mexico 1873

Editor: This is Timothy O'Sullivan's "Central portion of Cañon de Chelle, New Mexico" a photograph. The arid landscape has a stark beauty. What's striking to you about its historical context? Curator: O'Sullivan's photographs, commissioned by the U.S. government, shaped perceptions of the West. They were used to promote westward expansion, often overlooking the Indigenous populations already there. How do you think this image contributed to that narrative? Editor: It romanticizes a supposedly "empty" landscape, maybe encouraging settlement and resource extraction. I hadn't considered that. Curator: Exactly. The sublime beauty masks a political agenda, revealing the power dynamics inherent in landscape photography. Editor: That gives me a new way to think about landscape photography. Thanks!