Highways and Through Roads
The postcards of actual Laramie consist of 2 views of 3rd Street, one historical shot of 2nd Street and 3 images of the Wyoming Territorial Prison. The images of 3rd Street could almost be any street, in any small town in America. A night shot shows neon signs advertising chain stores and restaurants that can be found all across this country. There is nothing that distinguishes this as Laramie, apart from possibly the particular arrangement of the stores and even that has already changed in the actual town. To use this image to symbolize Laramie, either as a signpost of places to see, or to send to friends as where you are, focuses on the road, on the passing through. This image does not show distinctive or interesting qualities of Laramie, instead it emphasizes the path you take through Laramie on the way to other places. The other shot of 3rd St. is in daylight and faces South. This image does partially show the church on the corner of 3rd and Ivinson and so is more easily distinguishable as a shot of Laramie. However it still focuses on the street, the buildings are too the edges of the shot, only just caught and almost beside the point. [Picture, Ref 12]
