Gezicht op de rivier Merced in Yosemite Valley, Californië before 1886

Curator: Here we see “Gezicht op de rivier Merced in Yosemite Valley, Californië,” an albumen print, likely crafted before 1886, by George Fiske. Editor: The tranquility is almost palpable; the monochromatic tones lend a timeless quality. The framing invites the viewer into the heart of the Yosemite Valley, even through this two-dimensional surface. Curator: It’s fascinating to consider this image within the broader context of landscape photography during this period. Figures like Fiske helped shape the visual identity of the American West, influencing how we understand notions of wilderness and preservation. Editor: But it's also vital to recognize the historical forces at play. Consider the colonial project of representing and, in essence, claiming the land. The visual dominance asserted through photography can be linked to a political agenda, a literal picture of Manifest Destiny. Who inhabited this land prior, and what meanings did Yosemite hold before it became a subject of "art"? Curator: Indeed, looking closer reveals complexities. The photograph served as propaganda to garner political support for this park that served to protect it from exploitation while removing and erasing the ancestral lands of Native peoples. How does photography become intertwined with larger ideological and political frameworks? Editor: It's vital we approach these historical documents with a lens that critically assesses not just what’s *shown* but who has been left out and dispossessed as the shadow cost of artmaking. Curator: Precisely. By engaging with its historical context, the image presents not just an attractive vista but provokes larger reflections on our understanding of environment, identity, and agency in representations of power and influence. Editor: The history of landscape photography—so beautiful on the surface—turns out to be an arena of ongoing discussion about appropriation and authority, one where we each become witnesses to a conflicted legacy.