Marble Pinnacle, Kanab Canon, Utah c. 1870

Editor: This striking photograph, "Marble Pinnacle, Kanab Canon, Utah" by John K. Hillers, really highlights the monumental scale of the landscape. What strikes me is the relationship between the flowing water and the seemingly immutable rock. What do you see here? Curator: I am drawn to the process of its making, this photograph. Hillers worked within a specific system involving heavy equipment and dangerous conditions. Consider the labor involved in transporting the materials and the social context of westward expansion this image represents. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. It makes me think about the romantic idea of the lone photographer versus the reality of the industrial process. Curator: Exactly. And how that process, that mode of production, influenced the final image and our understanding of the American West. It really reshapes how we view this photograph. Editor: I agree. Looking at the photograph now, it’s not just about the majestic landscape, it’s about the means of capturing it and the story of how it was made.