Gezicht op het tolhuis bij Pikes Peak before 1893

Editor: Here we have an albumen print, or perhaps a photographic reproduction in an album from before 1893 titled *View of the toll house near Pikes Peak*. There’s something quite serene, almost majestic, about these black and white landscapes, particularly considering its age. What do you see in a piece like this? Curator: I see a complex layering of socio-political narratives embedded within this seemingly straightforward landscape depiction. We need to consider this image not just as a representation of nature but also as a cultural artifact produced and consumed within a specific historical context. How do you think the very act of photographing and circulating these images impacted perceptions of the American West? Editor: I suppose it romanticized the West, created an idea of this beautiful place for others to see… Curator: Precisely! Photography like this played a crucial role in shaping a national identity, influencing settlement patterns, and even justifying expansionist policies, such as Manifest Destiny. These landscape images also frequently promoted ideas of conservation alongside resource exploitation. Who were the primary consumers of such imagery at the time, and what needs were those images fulfilling for them? Editor: Maybe wealthy Easterners, or even Europeans who would want a glimpse of the American landscape. Maybe it reassured them about progress or about the opportunities there? Curator: Exactly. Consider how images of the "untamed" wilderness often coincided with active efforts to develop and profit from the same land. The toll house pictured in this photograph hints at accessibility and the commodification of nature. Think about how museums and other institutions showcased this kind of work and contributed to shaping perceptions of landscape as progress. Editor: That's a good point! I hadn’t thought about the image of nature being actively constructed in those photographs… I’ll never look at landscape photography the same way again.