View from the New Road at Pangi 1866

Editor: This is "View from the New Road at Pangi" by Samuel Bourne. It's a stunning photograph of a mountainscape. There's such a feeling of depth and scale. What strikes you most about this image? Curator: Bourne's work often presented a romanticized view of the East, shaped by colonial power dynamics. How does this image reinforce or challenge those expectations of landscape and labor? Editor: I see what you mean. The figures are so small in the landscape. What does it say about their relationship to the land? Curator: Exactly. It prompts us to consider the social and political context of landscape photography in the 19th century, and its role in constructing narratives of empire and identity. Editor: I never would have considered that without you pointing it out. It’s like there’s more to the picture than meets the eye. Curator: Precisely. Art becomes a lens to examine broader histories and power structures.