General View from the American Side (Niagara Falls) c. 1860

Curator: What a fascinating find! This albumen print, "General View from the American Side (Niagara Falls)," was captured around 1860 by Frederick Langenheim. Editor: It's serene, almost melancholic. The soft tones and the blurred edges of the falls create a sense of distance, like looking at a faded memory. Curator: Exactly. The romanticism of the Hudson River School movement comes to mind. This wasn’t just documentation, but also an attempt to capture the sublime power of nature. Editor: I wonder about the figures included, seemingly posing. What stories do they carry as tourists encountering nature for what may be their only experience of that landmark. Are they just props for Langenheim or are they trying to demonstrate possession of that land? Curator: That's a crucial point. These were potent symbols of both individual experience and the expansion of American identity during a period of intense socio-political changes. Consider how Indigenous claims to this territory were erased and ignored to open this site to both industry and leisure tourism. Editor: How do you feel the commercialization of natural beauty through these images plays a role in shaping perceptions of the land? Curator: Photography became complicit. The ability to own a mass produced and affordable copy of Niagara Falls propagated an almost universal experience, but that came with the political implications of national pride and often ignored the human costs that industrial progress demanded at that time. Editor: So it is a statement. Now it reads more about American desire and entitlement than an artist’s expression in time and space. Curator: It is also interesting to consider this photograph's circulation and distribution in the United States and the world. It is another crucial question when interpreting an artist’s motivation behind this project. Editor: Thank you, I was not sure where this photograph was taking me but, as always, these historical connections always deliver insights that move past pretty images. Curator: Indeed. Viewing art with an awareness of power structures illuminates so much.