Hurricane Fault at Town of Hurricane, Utah c. 1870

Editor: This is John K. Hillers' "Hurricane Fault at Town of Hurricane, Utah," a photograph from the late 19th century. It feels like a portrait of the American West, both rugged and tamed. What does this image tell you? Curator: Hillers' photograph presents a fascinating tension. Consider how the geological survey, of which Hillers was a part, served both scientific and expansionist agendas. How does the photograph legitimize westward expansion? Editor: So, the image is not just a landscape, but also a document of power? Curator: Precisely! The "tamed" town nestled beneath the "rugged" fault line visually reinforces a narrative of progress, of man conquering nature, and claiming the land. Editor: I never thought about photographs as being political like that. Curator: These early landscape photographs helped shape public perception and justified government policies.