Wereldtentoonstelling 1889 ('Exposition 1889 - fontaine Lumineuse avec Dôme Central.'), Parijs 1889

This photograph of the 1889 Paris World’s Fair, capturing the luminous fountain with its central dome, was published by J. Kühn. The image encapsulates a moment of national pride and technological optimism during France’s Third Republic. Consider the political climate: France sought to reassert itself on the global stage after the Franco-Prussian War. World’s Fairs were displays of power, progress, and cultural identity, but for whom? This idealized image papers over the labor and resources extracted from colonized nations, which contributed to France’s industrial prowess. Note how the architecture monumentalizes not just innovation but also a certain cultural dominance. The fountain, illuminated with new electric light, symbolizes enlightenment and modernity. What remains unseen, however, are the social inequalities that underpinned this spectacle of progress, and the many workers excluded from its promise. This photograph is not just a record of an event, but an artifact of its time, reflecting both the aspirations and the blind spots of a nation on display.