Gezicht op Mount of the Holy Cross in de Rocky Mountains c. 1860 - 1900

William Henry Jackson made this photograph of the Mount of the Holy Cross in the Rocky Mountains, during an era when the American West was seen as a symbol of national identity and expansion. Jackson, who lived from 1843 to 1942, was part of a generation that witnessed immense technological and territorial changes. His photographs often served to promote the idea of manifest destiny, yet they also captured the sublime beauty of untouched landscapes, laden with spiritual symbolism. The mountain, with its distinctive cross formation of snow, was not just a geographical feature but a religious icon, imbued with the cultural values of the time. The emotional weight carried by the image is complex. It speaks to the intersection of nature, religion, and the ideological underpinnings of westward expansion, even as it invites a moment of quiet reflection on the power and grandeur of the natural world.