Tropical Scenery, Limon Bay - Low Tide 1871

John Moran captured this photograph of Tropical Scenery, Limon Bay during a period of intense imperial expansion and scientific exploration. Moran, along with other landscape photographers, was deeply influenced by the idea of manifest destiny, a belief that settlers were destined to expand across North America. What we see is a landscape that appears untouched, serene. But this image is far from neutral; it participates in constructing an idea of the tropics as both exotic and empty, ready for American incursion. The low tide, a moment of revealing, invites a visual and perhaps colonial exploration. It is as if nature itself is exposing its secrets, making itself available. How does the image speak to the relationship between photography, colonialism, and the construction of identity? Consider how the desire to capture and categorize the natural world was often intertwined with political and economic ambitions. The tranquil beauty of Moran's photograph belies the complex history of cultural encounters.