Paviljoen van de Lowney Chocolate Factory op de World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 1893

Charles Dudley Arnold made this photograph of the Lowney Chocolate Factory Pavilion at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, in 1893. The image shows the pavilion in great detail. But it’s more than just a record. Consider the very concept of a chocolate factory building: a temple to industry and consumption. The pavilion itself, with its classical columns and dome, suggests a connection between the pleasures of the palate and the grandeur of civilization. The photograph would have been made using glass-plate negatives, a process demanding technical skill and specialized knowledge, combining science and art. In this way, the image operates on several levels at once, simultaneously documenting and promoting the values of its age: industrial progress, artistic achievement, and the delights of mass-produced sweets. The image asks us to consider how photography, like chocolate, can be both a product and a reflection of its cultural moment.