Standard Petroleum Refinery, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania c. 1865

Editor: This daguerreotype, “Standard Petroleum Refinery, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania” by Thomas H. Johnson, was created around 1865. It feels almost contradictory – beautiful light, and yet the scene it captures seems quite industrial. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That contradiction is precisely where the power lies. This image, produced in the wake of the Civil War, marks a turning point. It documents the rise of industry and, with it, the burgeoning power of capitalism. Who benefited and who was exploited in this moment of industrial explosion? Editor: The framing is interesting, almost like the refinery is being viewed from another building, maybe of greater importance? Curator: Exactly. Johnson’s strategic perspective might be highlighting the uneven distribution of wealth and power that accompanied this industrial boom. Consider the labor that fueled those refineries, likely underpaid and certainly under-protected. Can we view the growth and architectural achievements pictured alongside the societal repercussions suffered at the time? Editor: So you’re saying that the aesthetic beauty of the image might mask a more complex and troubling reality of the time? Curator: Absolutely. The photograph becomes a document not just of industrial progress, but of the social costs that often go unacknowledged in narratives of advancement. Consider what is left out of this photograph; whose stories are erased? Editor: It’s interesting to think about how seemingly neutral images can carry so much weight in terms of power and inequality. Curator: Indeed. It's a reminder that even landscapes are not neutral territories, and that their representation often serves particular interests.