Untitled (tug moving freighter, Sacramento River) c. 1925

Editor: This is an untitled photograph by William Edward Dassonville, showing a tug moving a freighter on the Sacramento River. It looks like a very material process, with the weight of the cargo so apparent. What aspects stand out to you? Curator: I see the layered process of photographic production. Dassonville’s selection of materials—paper, chemicals—and the labor involved in creating this image are vital. The subject itself depicts labor and transport, essential to economic activity. Editor: That makes me consider the labor of the people on the tugboat, too. Curator: Exactly. And what was the social context of this river trade? How did it impact the community, the workers, and the larger economic structure? Editor: It’s fascinating how the photograph, as a material object, connects to those broader systems. Curator: Indeed. Examining the photograph as a made object allows us to consider the social and economic forces at play.