The First House, Plimouth Plantation 1950

Editor: This is Thomas Willoughby Nason’s “The First House, Plimouth Plantation.” It’s a black and white print, and it feels quite nostalgic, almost like a scene from a history book. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The image's starkness emphasizes the Pilgrims' isolation, doesn't it? Consider how this depiction reinforces the myth of the self-sufficient, independent settler, while erasing the complex history of interactions with indigenous populations. What impact do you think that has on our understanding of American history? Editor: So, it’s not just a historical scene, but a commentary on how history is presented? It makes you wonder what's left out of the picture. Curator: Precisely. It urges us to question the power dynamics embedded in visual representations of our past. It is more than just an image of an early settlement.