Black Cañon, Colorado-rivier, Verenigde Staten ('Looking Below Near Camp 7') 1871

This albumen silver print, titled 'Black Cañon, Colorado-rivier, Verenigde Staten', was made by Timothy O'Sullivan. It’s a landscape view of the Colorado River, taken during a U.S. Geographical Survey in the late 19th century. The photograph speaks to the 19th-century American idea of Manifest Destiny. The survey itself was a government-sponsored project, indicative of the expanding reach and power of the American state. O'Sullivan's role wasn't merely artistic; he was documenting the landscape for future exploitation and settlement. The image itself is carefully composed. The dramatic cliffs and calm river suggest both the grandeur and the potential of the American West. But it also hints at the violence done to the landscape and its indigenous peoples in the name of progress. To fully understand this photograph, we can examine government archives, survey reports, and other historical documents. Through them, we can better grasp the complex social and political forces that shaped both the image and the American West itself.