Untitled (Alpine view) c. 1880s

Editor: This is an untitled alpine view by Francis Frith. The two images, one above the other, give it a before and after feel, almost like a journey. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Frith's work often presents the sublime through a colonial lens, inviting questions about access and representation. Who is invited to experience this vista, and who is excluded? Does the act of photographing these mountains become a form of possession? Editor: That's a powerful way to look at it; it hadn't occurred to me that landscape photography could be seen as a political act. Curator: Photography in this era was inextricably linked to power structures. Thinking about these images in that light, how does it change your perspective? Editor: I see it less as a neutral depiction and more as a statement about the photographer’s relationship to the landscape. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! It is crucial to analyze how these images participate in broader narratives of exploration and control.