The Three Brothers, 4,000 ft. (looking up the Valley) c. 1880s

Editor: This hand-colored photograph, "The Three Brothers, 4,000 ft. (looking up the Valley)" by Isaiah West Taber, has such a serene feeling. I am curious, what stands out to you? Curator: Considering Taber's work within the context of landscape photography at the time, it is important to think about how these images were produced and consumed. This image would have been one of many circulated to encourage tourism and development in the American West. Think about the labor involved in creating these images, hand-coloring them, and then distributing them. What does this process tell us about the relationship between art, commerce, and the romanticized view of nature? Editor: So, it's not just about the mountains themselves, but about how the image was made and what it was used for? Curator: Precisely. The materiality of the photograph and its circulation are just as significant as the subject matter. We can see how images like these fueled both appreciation and exploitation of the landscape. Editor: That is eye-opening. I'll certainly think about this photograph differently now.