[submitted by Jessica Landau]

The Charles J. Belden Photography Archive at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

The digital archive of the 1920’s and 30’s photography of Wyoming based photographer Charles Belden has been a path into the digital humanities for me, and not just for the obvious reason that I now interact with these images through a digital space. His photography is also interesting because of the ways in which it visualizes the American West through the modern lens of photography, creating geometric forms out the landscape and livestock. In some senses, Belden’s images seem to anticipate the digital, both in their quality and quantity. I am intrigued by the ways in which technology shapes the way we see and even the way that vision can be re-shaped by digital platforms almost 100 years later.