North Fork Canon, Sierra Blanca Creek, Arizona 1873

Curator: Immediately, the photograph evokes a sense of monumental scale, but filtered through a sepia tone that whispers of a bygone era. Editor: Indeed. This is Timothy O'Sullivan's "North Fork Canon, Sierra Blanca Creek, Arizona." These survey photographs were instrumental in shaping perceptions and ultimately the political control of the American West. Curator: The stark contrast between light and shadow, along with the near absence of human presence, underscores the complex relationship between landscape, power, and representation. I think about settler colonialism, and whose perspectives and lives are valued. Editor: Absolutely. It’s crucial to remember that these images, while appearing objective, served specific political and economic agendas tied to westward expansion. They presented a vision of the land ripe for exploitation and settlement. Curator: Looking at the scale of the canyon, and its composition, it asks us to think about erasure and the stories left untold. Editor: Understanding the history behind these photographs helps us engage critically with the narrative they construct, recognizing the voices that were deliberately excluded. Curator: Exactly. It encourages us to consider whose history is being told, and whose is being obscured.