High Bridge, Crossing the Appomattox, Near Farmville, On South Side Railroad, VA. 1865

Curator: This albumen silver print, by Timothy O'Sullivan, captures the High Bridge crossing the Appomattox River near Farmville. Editor: It feels unfinished, like a ruin, or some skeletal beast emerging from the earth. Stark and almost unsettling. Curator: The bridge becomes a potent symbol here. It’s about infrastructure, certainly, but also of bridging divides—both literally and metaphorically in a post-Civil War context. Editor: It’s industrial and desolate, though. It lacks a human element, which makes the idea of "bridging" feel almost futile, or at least incredibly difficult. A symbol of monumental effort. Curator: Perhaps, but consider the light. It gives a sense of hope, doesn't it? A visual echo of the potential for rebuilding, for connection despite past fractures. Editor: I suppose. But I still feel a weight in those shadows. It’s a reminder that progress always carries the ghosts of what was lost. Curator: A poignant observation, indeed. Editor: Yes, a heavy reminder.