Views from Above

From the readings for this week, I became more aware of a common thread that runs through the advancements in aerial images: a frequent and common trait in humans is the desire to see more as a way to understand and connect with the world. 

In Alex Krieger’s piece, “As Though in Flight: 19th Century American Urban Views,” it is made clear that early American bird’s eye views were a point of pride and intrigue. This point reminded me of feelings of sentimentality that I experience when flying in a plane to visit family in Michigan. I look out the window and see the sprawling, flat, squared-off ground. For me, that image evokes sentimentality because I relate it to experiences I’ve had visiting family in the Mid-West - of seeing no mountains or hills, simply grids bordered by roads. I relate to the wonder, curiosity, and pride that Krieger discusses, and these feelings add a human touch to the mechanical history of the United States’ expansion.

In “Catalog of the Exhibit,” Robert Grim also notes this human connection to happenings on the landscape as he describes how artists would render bird’s eye views from perspectives that suited what they saw as important to the image. Artists would connect with the landscape by placing emphasis and viewers could then connect upon seeing the image and feeling pride about a particular place. This is a way to understand cities and towns from a more personal and/or desired perspective.

Robert Doty also communicates this effect in “Aloft with Balloon and Camera.” The simple fact that so many scientists and photographers were so intrigued by exploring views from the air indicates a fascination with their world and home-countries. As individuals of various nations worked toward the goal of capturing aerial photographs, they appear to me to be attempting a greater understanding and thus a more powerful connection with their surroundings.