On the Moosic, West, Del. & Hudson Canal Co. c. 1863 - 1865

Editor: So this gelatin-silver print, “On the Moosic, West, Del. & Hudson Canal Co.”, made sometime around 1863 by Thomas H. Johnson... It really strikes me how the built environment seems to interrupt an otherwise natural landscape. What catches your eye? Curator: It’s fascinating to consider this photograph as a record of industrial activity. Think about the materials themselves: gelatin and silver, manipulated through a chemical process to capture this scene. What sort of labor went into producing these images, from mining the silver to preparing the photographic plates, to documenting the canal’s construction? Editor: That's a side of it I hadn't considered before, how much work actually created this photograph. It looks like there are a lot of labourers present in the photograph itself working on the site, could you perhaps elaborate on that a little? Curator: Exactly. Now look closely at the figures perched on that scaffolding and on that small structure off in the distance; tiny human subjects almost blend in, dwarfed by the scale of industrial intervention. And that raises questions about the canal's very purpose: facilitating the movement of goods. Who benefited from that economic engine, and at what cost to the natural environment and the people who built the canal? Editor: Right, I can see how your perspective really encourages looking beyond the picturesque view. Curator: Precisely. The means of production—the labor, the extraction of materials, and their ultimate consumption—that's where the real story lies. Think about the impact on the land and the labor put in, all those aspects of making art—those are really interesting points of entry. Editor: This definitely encourages a much broader look into both the subject of the artwork, and how the artwork was actually made! Curator: Agreed, analyzing art using a materialist approach has really helped highlight how socio-economic forces influence artwork's creation and message.