Flying Geese 1873

Editor: This is Karl Bodmer's "Flying Geese," a small etching. I'm really drawn to the texture; it almost feels like looking through a mist. What do you see in this piece, particularly considering it's an etching? Curator: As a materialist, I'm fascinated by the etching process itself. Bodmer's labor, transferring an image onto a metal plate, and then using acid to bite away the design--it's a material transformation that speaks to the relationship between humans and the natural world they depict. Editor: So, the method impacts our reading of the image? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the consumption of prints in Bodmer’s time. These images democratized access to the West, but also fueled a narrative of ownership and resource extraction. How might the mass production of this image complicate our understanding of nature? Editor: I never thought about it that way. It’s more than just a pretty picture of birds in flight! Curator: Exactly. It's about the means of production and its impact.