Jupiter's Terrace before 1887

Frank Jay Haynes made this photograph called 'Jupiter's Terrace'. Haynes capitalized on the growing tourism industry and western expansion in the United States. Haynes's photograph invites us to consider how landscapes are not just physical spaces but also cultural constructs. In this image of the terraces, the grand title speaks to a divine beauty, yet it also echoes the colonial impulse to name and claim territories. What does it mean to name a natural wonder after a Roman god, imposing a classical narrative onto an American landscape? Haynes’s photographs helped shape perceptions and contributed to the narrative of the American West. Yet, it is important to reflect on whose stories were amplified and whose were silenced in these visual representations. Consider the experiences of the Indigenous peoples who were displaced. As you consider the photograph ask yourself about the stories we tell ourselves about progress, nature, and ownership.