White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona Possibly 1942 - 1981

Editor: Ansel Adams’s black and white photograph, "White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona," possibly taken between 1942 and 1981, has such stark contrasts and really emphasizes the immense scale of the canyon. What stands out to you about this image? Curator: I think it's significant how Adams photographs this ancestral Puebloan site. This photograph, made for public consumption and distribution, participates in constructing and circulating a specific narrative. What aspects of this image contribute to that narrative, do you think? Editor: Well, the ruin is presented as this isolated structure against an almost overwhelming natural landscape. It feels timeless, but also fragile. Is that what you mean? Curator: Exactly. Consider how Adams omits evidence of modern Navajo presence, who are the current inhabitants and stewards of the Canyon de Chelly. His composition romanticizes the past, focusing on the ‘ruin’ while ignoring the living history of the site and the political realities of Indigenous land rights. He frames the White House ruin, therefore, in the tradition of 19th-century sublime landscape painting and photography. It creates a kind of…noble ruin. Editor: So it's less about the ruin itself, and more about how Adams chose to portray it, creating a certain historical narrative for the viewer. Curator: Precisely. Photography is never neutral; it's always a product of specific choices and intentions within a particular cultural context. Editor: I hadn't considered how selective the image is, I guess I got caught up in its beauty. Thanks! Curator: The visual power is undeniable, and acknowledging that alongside the constructed narrative only enriches our understanding.