Red Rocks Near Allen's c. 1895

Curator: Here we have William H. Rau's "Red Rocks Near Allen's," a gelatin silver print taken around 1895. The photograph captures a serene landscape with railroad tracks running along a river. Editor: Oh, it’s terribly romantic, in a melancholic way. That silvery light, the way the tracks recede, feels like a longing for somewhere else. The overall effect, with those hazy hills, is really dreamlike, isn't it? Curator: Indeed. Rau was quite interested in portraying the harmony between nature and industry, a common theme within pictorialism. The tracks signify progress, while the water and surrounding hills retain a certain picturesque beauty. Notice the material qualities of the gelatin silver process. How would it enable Rau to craft his vision? Editor: Well, a gelatin silver print suggests to me a certain democratization of image-making. Compared to earlier processes, it was more accessible, allowed for mass production, and was key in creating photographic representations on postcards, for example. I always think about how photographs like this shaped our perception of these landscapes – and perhaps encouraged their consumption and modification. Were "Red Rocks Near Allen's" red due to industrial run-off? Or were the landscapes just transformed in other ways? Curator: It's intriguing how the very medium is a product of industry and commerce. It adds another layer to Rau's vision, one where even idealized landscapes were enmeshed in a web of capital and labor. Makes you wonder about Allen, doesn't it? Editor: Exactly. What kind of work was happening near Allen's? Were the materials used in producing the silver gelatin print extracted from these very lands? Was this photo itself commissioned by a railway company, for example? The very act of documenting alters the terrain itself, shifting our attention toward its value and perhaps leading to new industrial exploits. Curator: Right, you make me wonder if it's naive to perceive this piece through purely aesthetic lenses, as it’s clear this photograph opens conversations about commodification, industry, and their intertwining with our natural environments. Editor: Agreed. Rau’s beautiful picture hints at a tension—a negotiation between progress and preservation—one that remains deeply relevant today as we look at these industrial landscape, now made into images for consumption themselves.