Exterieur van een spoorwegstation in Denver c. 1860 - 1900

Editor: Here we have William Henry Jackson's "Exterior of a Railroad Station in Denver," likely taken sometime between 1860 and 1900. It's a gelatin-silver print, giving it that warm, sepia tone. I'm struck by the grand scale of the station; it really dominates the scene. What stands out to you? Curator: What catches my attention is how this photograph represents the industrial transformation of the American West, particularly considering its production and circulation as a gelatin-silver print. We should consider the process; the labour and industrial means of its making were just as critical to its meaning. It speaks to westward expansion and capitalist development, right? What kind of material traces were made accessible by the railroad network that wasn't there before this picture was created? Editor: Definitely. The railroad facilitated resource extraction, like mining. How might the photograph itself, as a commodity, relate to that extraction? Curator: Precisely! Consider the silver used in the print, mined from the same territories depicted. Photography, the railroads, resource extraction–all these systems are intrinsically connected, both materially and ideologically. Jackson’s photograph serves to document, but also to promote, a particular narrative of progress intertwined with these exploitative economic activities. What kind of stories could these materials tell on their own? Editor: I never considered the silver in the photograph as linked to the resources the railroad carried. It's almost like the photograph itself becomes another product of that system. That shifts my understanding entirely! Curator: Indeed. Analyzing the materials and processes opens a whole new perspective on the relationship between art, technology, and the transformation of the American landscape. It gives an entire material account of image production!