The Three Tetons, Mt. Hayden c. 1870

Curator: Here we have William Henry Jackson's "The Three Tetons, Mt. Hayden," a photograph taken sometime during his career, given he lived from 1843 to 1942. Editor: It's breathtaking. The muted tones give it a timeless quality, but there's something about the sharp contrast of the foreground rocks that feels almost confrontational. Curator: That tension, I think, speaks to the challenges of early landscape photography. Jackson would have been lugging heavy equipment, using cumbersome wet plate processes in harsh environments. Editor: Absolutely. This wasn't just about capturing a pretty picture. It's a document of westward expansion, of the romanticized ideal of the untouched wilderness, but also a record of the labor involved in shaping that image. Curator: And the consumption of that image. These photographs were mass-produced, fueling tourism and shaping perceptions of the American West. Editor: It makes you wonder about the indigenous people who lived in those mountains, their displacement made invisible by these grand, empty vistas. A bittersweet beauty, isn't it? Curator: Indeed, it makes us think about what landscape represents, and how that representation has evolved. Editor: Agreed, a vital piece of history to consider.