Gezicht op El Paso met een kerk before 1883

Curator: Here we have an albumen print from an album page titled "Gezicht op El Paso met een kerk," placing its creation sometime before 1883. It presents an expansive view of El Paso and one of its churches. Editor: Whoa, that light! It's like a hazy memory. Makes me think of faded sepia postcards from my grandmother's attic. And yet, despite the distance, there's something grand about it—that suggestion of a church. A place of hope, I suppose. Curator: Indeed. These landscape photographs, especially in the American West, played a key role. Not merely documentary records of expanding territories but powerful tools influencing perceptions of the frontier. This view provides a glimpse into the region's evolving urban landscape during a period of rapid socio-economic transformation. Editor: It feels vast and empty, with that distant building promising connection and spirituality. Is it just me or does the very framing draw us towards the buildings, and is it also excluding everything else in this wilderness? Almost forcing the viewers to have a preference? Curator: That's a thoughtful observation. Albums like this were often commissioned or acquired by individuals with particular interests and often with financial interest into developing lands further West. This church would have symbolised social order. And order can provide safety when looking for a good spot to build your homestead on the new frontier. The medium itself, the photograph and this method of capturing the scene using an albumen print, it also lends the work this "civilised", romantic, look as if taming nature will always be beautiful. Editor: Ah, the sweet seduction of development, dressed up in amber tones! Thinking about that romantic look that has something forced about it...I wonder what this image leaves out? What stories are untold within this picture book that showcases El Paso? Curator: Exactly. When viewed within a collection and considered within the context of colonial photography, such prints invite reflection upon whose perspectives are prioritized, but I hear you on the untold story. Maybe there's room for another exhibit one day! Editor: There definitely is.