Entrance to the Stikine River, Alaska 1884 - 1914

Curator: Theodore J. Richardson's watercolor, "Entrance to the Stikine River, Alaska," captures a serene vista. Editor: There’s a muted stillness to it, almost melancholic. The pale blues and grays evoke a sense of vast, untouched space. Curator: Notice the canoes; the artist employs them as symbols, vessels of passage, reflecting a connection to the land and Indigenous presence. Editor: Right. The Stikine River was a crucial trade route, so these boats also speak to colonial contact and the disruption of traditional ways of life. The romanticized landscape obscures the harsh realities. Curator: Perhaps. But, like many Hudson River School paintings, this offers a sense of transcendental beauty. The mountains could represent the sublime. Editor: Perhaps, but we should also acknowledge that claiming sublime beauty justified the erasure of Indigenous narratives. Curator: A vital point. Ultimately, the painting becomes more than just a landscape; it’s a reflection on cultural and environmental dynamics. Editor: Exactly. Richardson gives us a surface of beauty, but we have to question what lies beneath.