Gezicht op een waterbassin in het Franconia Notch State Park before 1878

Editor: So, this is a gelatin-silver print titled "Gezicht op een waterbassin in het Franconia Notch State Park" by the Bierstadt Brothers, taken before 1878. There's something haunting about it, the way the waterfall just appears amidst the dark rocks. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This image invites us to consider the complexities of landscape photography in the 19th century. On the surface, it's a seemingly straightforward depiction of natural beauty, but we have to ask: who was this beauty intended for, and at what cost? The Bierstadt Brothers capitalized on the romanticization of the American landscape. Consider how the railroad expansions, facilitated by exploitation and displacement of indigenous people, opened up these vistas to the tourist gaze. Do you think this image, while aesthetically pleasing, obscures a more complicated history? Editor: That's a really interesting point. I hadn't thought about it in terms of access and exploitation, more just as a record of a place. So the sublime, and the awe the image inspires, could be obscuring some harsher realities. Curator: Precisely. These photographs served to promote a particular narrative of American expansion and progress. We should consider how this narrative was – and still is – constructed through images, silencing other stories and perspectives. Who gets to define "natural beauty," and what are the consequences? Editor: Wow, I never thought a landscape photo could be so… loaded. It gives a new perspective. Thanks! Curator: Indeed, engaging with art in this way can prompt much needed critical dialogues. Thank you.