Gezicht op Fort Gorges in Casco Bay before 1890

Editor: Here we have an albumen print titled "Gezicht op Fort Gorges in Casco Bay," dated before 1890. It's quite stark, a fortress emerging from the water. It projects this strong sense of isolation. What do you see when you look at it? Curator: Immediately, I think about the social and political function of a fortress. Whose shores was it protecting? And from whom? Consider the environmental impact, too—building a structure like that changes the landscape and the surrounding marine ecosystems, all in the name of power. The date places this print squarely in the age of rapid industrialization and imperialism. Does the starkness suggest the cold efficiency of colonial power to you? Editor: I hadn't considered it in those terms initially, more as an isolated architectural study. Now I can’t unsee the militaristic implications, especially with it looming over the water like that. Do you think the photographer intended this critique, or was it more observational? Curator: Intention is tricky. But even an "objective" record reflects a certain perspective. Photography, especially in the late 19th century, often served specific agendas – scientific documentation, colonial surveying, displays of power. Who controlled the means of image production, and what biases might they have held? Think about whose stories were—and weren't—being told at that time. Editor: That makes me think about the local communities and indigenous people who lived in that area prior to its construction. This image seems to completely erase them. Curator: Exactly. The photograph silences those narratives, which is precisely the point I'm hoping to draw attention to. What felt like a landscape is a loaded scene with layers of socioeconomic narratives to unpack. Editor: It's incredible how much changes when you start viewing something from that lens! Curator: Precisely, which allows a single albumen to tell many layered stories of power, dispossession, and environmental intervention.