Gezicht op de Tower of Babel in de Tuin der goden te Colorado before 1893

Curator: This gelatin silver print, taken before 1893, is titled "Gezicht op de Tower of Babel in de Tuin der goden te Colorado"—or, "View of the Tower of Babel in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado." What's your immediate impression? Editor: Stark and imposing. The monolithic rock formations dominate the landscape; there's a rawness, a powerful monumentality. Curator: Indeed. Note the almost brutal simplicity of form—pure verticality disrupted by horizontal striations, a dance of line and plane. Semiotically, the images evoke ideas of both natural grandeur and spiritual aspiration. Editor: Beyond the geometry, I'm struck by the making. Gelatin silver printing allowed for incredible detail. Look at the texture of those rocks, the way light hits the different layers, creating highlights and shadows. It really emphasizes the geological processes at play over millennia. Also the labour involved in photographing, printing, transporting these landscapes must have been considerable. Curator: Certainly, the sharp tonal contrasts speak to a sophisticated understanding of photographic chemistry and optics. The way the composition leads the eye upwards mimics a kind of spiritual ascension, a theme very present in the period. Editor: Yes, and I find myself considering the social context too. Photography was used both to document and promote these locations, essentially selling an idea of the 'American West', which also implicated resource extraction and tourism. This also involves labor and the development of the American West. Curator: I can’t help but appreciate the visual interplay between structure and space, light and dark. A masterful rendering, independent of cultural context. Editor: Fair enough. For me, its beauty lies in understanding how human action, time, material interact—the very stuff of how these imposing and beautiful locations emerge. Curator: An insightful approach! I will view the materials of this photography through new eyes from now on. Editor: It brings us to better focus our analysis from now on, and in some ways grounds us. Thank you for that wonderful deep dive into the semiotics as well!