Yungfoo River 1869

Editor: This is John Thomson's "Yungfoo River," a gelatin silver print from 1869, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I'm really struck by the textures in this photograph, the sharp vertical lines of the cliff contrasting with the still, reflective water. What's your interpretation of this piece? Curator: It’s fascinating to view this photograph within the context of 19th-century photographic expeditions. Thomson wasn't just documenting the Yungfoo River, he was also participating in the visual construction of China for Western audiences. How do you think that agenda influenced his approach? Editor: I guess he might be more interested in the 'picturesque' aspects that would appeal to a European sensibility. So the dramatic rock formations, perhaps? Curator: Precisely. And what is omitted is just as important. Where are the people who inhabited this landscape? Photography at this time, particularly travel photography, frequently participated in a colonial gaze, highlighting exotic locales while simultaneously erasing indigenous presence or representing them in a way that reinforced Western narratives of dominance and progress. Editor: So the ‘naturalism’ tag might be misleading; it’s a constructed view of nature. The river looks so empty without anyone around! I see what you mean about the colonial gaze; even the absence tells a story. Curator: Exactly. And consider the role of institutions like the Met in displaying and perpetuating these narratives over time. It prompts us to examine how we encounter these images today, acknowledging their historical and political dimensions. Editor: This makes me think about whose stories get told and how museums can address those silences. Curator: It also invites us to see beyond the purely aesthetic and towards a more critical engagement with the power dynamics embedded within photographic representation.