Fairyland (Bryce) 1900 - 1940

Curator: George S. Forbes' platinum print, "Fairyland (Bryce)", captures the geological formations of Bryce Canyon. The panoramic view, achieved through a three-part photographic process, offers a stunning depiction of the American West. Editor: It's breathtaking! The scale is so immense, yet there's an almost delicate quality to the rock formations; they look like fragile sculptures. Curator: Exactly, the title "Fairyland" suggests a romanticized, almost mythical interpretation of the landscape. This romanticism was a popular approach during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Editor: I wonder, though, about the tension between the romanticism and the reality of the West's exploitation during this period. Was this a deliberate distraction, or simply a different lens? Curator: That's an important point to consider. Forbes was documenting a landscape, but the institutional forces of the era played a role in shaping that very imagery. Editor: Absolutely. Looking at "Fairyland," I'm now thinking about the complex relationship between aesthetics, power, and the land itself.