Western United States. Perpetual Mirage: Photographic Narratives of the Desert West by Martha Sandweiss, et al.

Whitney Museum, 1996. [Alexander Gardner; A.J. Russell; Clarence King; Wheeler Expedition; Edward S. Curtis; Charles Lummis; J. Smeaton Chase; Taos, New Mexico; Edward Weston; Dorothea Lange; Laura Gilpin; Robert Adams; Lewis Baltz; Richard Misrach]. 1st edition in wraps, near fine.  Summary:

Perpetual Mirage: Photographic Narratives of the Desert West is a comprehensive, scholarly exhibition catalogue published in 1996 by the Whitney Museum of American Art (distributed by Harry N. Abrams).

Organized by lead author and photographic historian Martha A. Sandweiss along with other contributing essayists, the volume accompanies a major exhibition that examined the rich, evolving history of how photography has shaped the American public’s perception of the Western desert over more than a century.

Key Overview and Objectives

• Deconstructing the Western Myth: The book explores how the American desert—frequently imagined as a blank canvas, a pristine wilderness, or a barren wasteland—is actually a complex cultural invention.

• The Role of the Lens: Sandweiss and her collaborators look at how photographers did not merely document the West, but actively created "photographic narratives" that served political, corporate, and artistic agendas, influencing everything from government policy to tourism.

Core Themes and Historical Progression

• Government Surveys and Manifest Destiny: The volume chronicles the early history of Western photography, focusing on the 19th-century geological surveys of Timothy O'Hilly, William Henry Jackson, and Carleton Watkins. The text illustrates how their crisp, grand, large-format landscapes were utilized to encourage westward expansion, mining, and railway development.

• Modernist Romanticism: The book transitions into the 20th century, exploring the work of iconic Modernists like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Laura Gilpin. These photographers shifted the narrative toward an aesthetic of pure form, spirituality, and preservation, framing the desert as a timeless, pristine sanctuary in need of protection.

• The New Topographics and Beyond: In its final sections, the catalogue examines the cynical, post-modern shift of the late 20th century. Featuring artists like Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, and Richard Misrach, the narrative confronts the harsh realities of the contemporary desert—documenting suburban sprawl, industrial pollution, military testing grounds, and environmental degradation.

Significance

Perpetual Mirage is a seminal reference work in the fields of American art history, visual culture, and environmental studies. By unpacking the layers of ideology behind iconic Western imagery, Sandweiss and her team provided a vital framework for understanding how photography can simultaneously reveal, obscure, and completely reinvent a landscape.