Fort Laramie, Wyoming 1864 - 1868

Editor: Here we have Ridgway Glover’s "Fort Laramie, Wyoming," an albumen print photograph from 1864 to 1868. It’s striking how the oval format seems to isolate this settlement from the vast landscape, creating almost a vignette of frontier life. What stories do you think this image tells? Curator: This image speaks volumes about expansion, settlement, and power dynamics during that era. What do you notice about the arrangement of the buildings within the frame? Editor: They seem ordered, almost regimented, which feels a bit at odds with the idea of the “Wild West.” Curator: Precisely. Think about the U.S. government's agenda at the time. This ordered structure represents an attempt to impose control and claim territory. It also signifies the disruption and displacement of Indigenous communities. The photograph served as propaganda, reinforcing notions of Manifest Destiny and overlooking the violent reality of westward expansion. Editor: So, this seemingly objective depiction is actually deeply intertwined with political motives? Curator: Absolutely. Consider also the absence. What’s missing from this picturesque view? Where are the narratives of the people whose land this was? Whose voices are silenced by this carefully curated image? Think of what Pierre Bourdieu said about cultural capital and power—photography at this time was wielded as a tool to define and control the narrative. Editor: That shifts my understanding entirely. It's not just a landscape, but a carefully constructed statement about power. I didn’t even consider the voices absent from the photograph. Curator: Exactly. Examining whose stories are *not* told in art is just as vital as understanding what is presented. It encourages us to question dominant narratives and seek more inclusive histories. Editor: I’ll definitely remember that as I keep exploring art! Thanks for pointing out these important aspects.