Quarrying Granite for Mormon Temple 1870 - 1878

Editor: Here we have William Henry Jackson's "Quarrying Granite for Mormon Temple," a gelatin-silver print made sometime between 1870 and 1878. What strikes me immediately is the sheer scale of the enterprise, the human figures dwarfed by these enormous blocks of stone. It feels…almost biblical in its scope. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Biblical is a good word for it. When I look at this, I see not just a photograph, but a story about ambition, faith, and the monumental task of building a community – literally brick by brick, or rather, granite block by granite block. It's fascinating, isn't it, that Jackson, known for his romantic landscapes that helped create the myth of the West, also documented its industrial side. These landscapes suddenly have a second layer when the rocks have been shifted! What does that do for you, the stark industrial extraction smack bang in the beautiful Rockies? Editor: I guess it sort of shatters the romantic vision of the West. It’s a reminder that progress and development often come at a cost to the environment. But I also think about the dedication and back-breaking labor it took to build that temple, to manifest a vision in such a tangible way. Curator: Precisely. And think about Jackson, framing this narrative. Is he celebrating the achievement, lamenting the impact, or simply documenting it? Perhaps he's even inviting us to do that - to consider that tricky balancing act between aspiration and consequence. It's why, for me, the picture stays so powerful; we aren't handed a conclusion but instead shown a series of choices and their impacts. Editor: It makes you wonder about all the hidden stories behind these grand structures. It's more than just a pretty picture, isn't it? Curator: Exactly. This image offers a complex narrative about the West that refuses any easy label of progress or exploitation.