View on Lake Fork, Looking up Snake Creek, Colorado c. 1870s

Curator: This is William Henry Jackson's "View on Lake Fork, Looking up Snake Creek, Colorado," an albumen print landscape residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels like a stage set, doesn't it? The mountains loom like painted backdrops, and the foreground meadow is the bare stage. Curator: Jackson was a pioneer in photographing the American West, his images shaping the nation's understanding of its vast landscapes, especially during a time of westward expansion. Editor: There's a stillness, a silence, that almost feels manufactured—a curated wilderness, if you will. It's beautiful, sure, but also a little…imposing? Curator: Indeed. The lack of human presence is notable. Jackson's vision of the West was often one of pristine, untouched wilderness, which conveniently overlooked the indigenous populations already living there. Editor: Ah, yes. It's easy to get swept away by the vista, forgetting that behind these idyllic scenes lies a more complex narrative. Curator: Precisely. Jackson's images, while breathtaking, also helped fuel a specific agenda of territorial expansion and resource exploitation. Editor: So, a pretty picture with a complicated backstory. Curator: As is so often the case.