In "Pastoral and Monumental, "Donald C. Jackson chronicles
America's longtime fascination with dams as represented on picture
postcards from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century.
Through over four hundred images, Jackson documents the remarkable
transformation of dams and their significance to the environment
and culture of America.
Initially, dams were portrayed in pastoral settings on postcards
that might jokingly proclaim them as "a dam pretty place." But
scenes of flood damage, dam collapses, and other disasters also
captured people's attention. Later, images of New Deal projects,
such as the Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, and Norris Dam,
symbolized America's rise from the Great Depression through
monumental public works and technological innovation. Jackson
relates the practical applications of dams, describing their use in
irrigation, navigation, flood control, hydroelectric power,
milling, mining, and manufacturing. He chronicles changing
construction techniques, from small timber mill dams to those more
massive and more critical to a society dependent on instant access
to electricity and potable water.
Concurrent to the evolution of dam technology, Jackson recounts
the rise of a postcard culture that was fueled by advances in
printing, photography, lowered postal rates, and America's
fascination with visual imagery. In 1910, almost one billion
postcards were mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, and for a
period of over fifty years, postcards featuring dams were "all the
rage." Whether displaying the charms of an old mill, the aftermath
of a devastating flood, or the construction of a colossal gravity
dam, these postcards were a testament to how people perceived dams
as structures of both beauty and technological power.
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