Hotel valley from the hot springs before 1887

Frank Jay Haynes captured "Hotel Valley from the Hot Springs" with his camera, during a time of westward expansion in America. Haynes, as the official photographer for the Northern Pacific Railroad, played a crucial role in shaping perceptions of the American West. Here we see a landscape carefully curated for consumption. The composition emphasizes the valley's vastness, while the hot springs in the foreground present a vision of natural wonder, tamed for leisure. But what is obscured in this image? The displacement of indigenous communities, the exploitation of natural resources, and the impact of tourism on the environment are noticeably absent. Haynes' photographs served as promotional material, encouraging settlement and investment, furthering a narrative of progress that often came at a great cost. Consider the stories that remain untold in this image, and how it contributes to our understanding of the complexities inherent in the visual representation of landscapes.