Tower Falls, 110 Feet. Yellowstone National Park c. 1885

F. Jay Haynes made this photograph of Tower Falls in Yellowstone National Park sometime in the late 19th century. Haynes was the official photographer for the Northern Pacific Railroad. His images weren't just pretty pictures; they were advertisements designed to entice tourists and settlers to the American West. Consider the social and political context of the time. The US government was actively promoting westward expansion, often at the expense of indigenous populations. Haynes' photographs contributed to the romanticized vision of the West as a land of unspoiled wilderness. Yet this representation elided the complex realities of ecological transformation and the displacement of Native Americans. To fully understand the photograph's cultural significance, one might research the history of Yellowstone National Park, the role of railroads in western expansion, and the changing attitudes toward nature in the late 19th century. Through such inquiry, we can better understand the power of images to shape perceptions and influence social change.