Fire Department & Reservoir, Clark & Sumner, Standard Petroleum Refinery, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania c. 1865

This is a stereograph by Thomas H. Johnson, titled "Fire Department & Reservoir, Clark & Sumner, Standard Petroleum Refinery, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania." The sepia tones evoke a sense of distance, both temporal and emotional, which is further emphasized by the symmetrical composition. The machinery in the foreground stands static. The two-point perspective draws our eyes towards the refinery buildings and tank cars that line the horizon. The image functions through a network of signs: the fire department and reservoir signify a precarious balance between industrial progress and potential ecological disaster. In semiotic terms, the image challenges any singular interpretation, destabilizing any fixed meaning of progress. This photograph is a commentary on the industrial ambitions of the era, captured in a carefully arranged composition.