Merced River 1870 - 1874

Editor: Here we have Carleton Watkins's "Merced River," a gelatin-silver print made sometime between 1870 and 1874. It has such a still, quiet feeling. How can we understand this work through the lens of materiality and production? Curator: A key question is: how did Watkins's choices of materials and methods influence the perception of the American West? The gelatin-silver process, allowing for sharper detail and mass reproduction, transformed these landscapes into commodities, circulated as both art and promotion for westward expansion. Do you see any hints of this transformation within the image? Editor: I guess I do. The image romanticizes the river as a pristine place, yet the very act of photographing and distributing it suggests a transformation of the land into something to be consumed visually, if not materially. It becomes a resource, even through art. Curator: Precisely. The scale of Watkins’s prints – some quite large – also plays a role. Consider the labour involved in transporting equipment, developing on site, and then the logistical challenges of producing and distributing these large prints in the late 19th century. Editor: So, it's not just about capturing the landscape, but about the labor and industrial processes that made that capture possible and distributed it. That gives me a whole new perspective. The ‘Merced River’ is an object produced with considerable human involvement in its creation, promotion, and consumption. I never would have seen that on my own! Curator: And Watkins's images, because of their quality and availability, helped shape the collective imagination around the American West, furthering its incorporation into the national consciousness and economy. A complicated and critical piece when considered through production.