Untitled (view of White Mountains) 1854

Curator: John Adams Whipple captured this albumen print, "Untitled (view of White Mountains)," and it invites contemplation on nature and representation. Editor: My immediate sense is drama—the dark, craggy rocks against that muted sky evoke a feeling of Romantic-era sublime. There’s a tension between beauty and potential danger. Curator: Whipple's choice to photograph the White Mountains, a popular subject for artists, should be understood through the lens of 19th-century expansionism and the idealization of the American landscape. This romantic view often obscures the violent displacement of Indigenous peoples. Editor: Absolutely. But there is also a symbolic weight in the rocks themselves. They stand as enduring markers of time, resilience, and perhaps even silent witnesses to those historical injustices you mentioned. Curator: I agree, the photograph’s symbolism is layered, speaking to both our complicated relationship with nature and the complex narratives we project onto the land. Editor: Reflecting on this, I see the enduring human desire to find meaning in the natural world, for better or worse.