Quezaltenango from the Crater of a Volcano 1877

This albumen silver print, "Quezaltenango from the Crater of a Volcano," was created by Eadweard Muybridge. It is an image that encapsulates the 19th-century Western gaze upon Central America. Consider the context: Muybridge, a British photographer working in the United States, ventured into Guatemala. This was a period marked by burgeoning tourism alongside imperialist ambitions. The very act of photographing from a volcano's crater implies a desire to dominate and possess the land through representation. The image itself, with its stark contrast and almost alien landscape, evokes a sense of the sublime, a popular aesthetic of the time that intertwined awe with a sense of threat. Understanding this photograph means delving into travelogues, colonial histories, and the archives of photographic societies. Only then can we fully grasp the complex interplay of art, science, and power at play.