In Peekaboo Canyon (Bryce) 1900 - 1940

Curator: George S. Forbes captured this view of "In Peekaboo Canyon (Bryce)," a photograph measuring 34 by 67.2 centimeters held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: What strikes me immediately is the stark, almost ghostly, quality of the canyon—a formidable, imposing landscape. Curator: Considering Forbes' process, this image likely involved meticulous darkroom work, manipulating tones to enhance the drama of erosion and geological transformation. Editor: These formations resonate with timelessness, like ancient temples or silent guardians. The light and shadow play on the rock suggesting hidden stories. Curator: Indeed, the very act of photographing and distributing these images helped shape perceptions, fueling desires for consumption and the extraction of natural resources. Editor: I wonder if these images influenced the symbolic language of the American West, reinforcing notions of rugged individualism. Curator: A provocative thought, how landscape becomes a stage for cultural narratives. Editor: The canyon holds many tales, geological and human, doesn’t it?