Gezicht op de World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 1893

Editor: Here we have "Gezicht op de World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893," a gelatin silver print photograph by Charles Dudley Arnold. It depicts a cityscape; it looks like a world's fair. The composition has this formal quality and reminds me a little of academic painting. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, looking at the materials first, this gelatin silver print gives us clues to the rapidly industrializing photographic process of the time. Photography became more accessible, more reproducible. Think about the labor involved in staging and capturing this image. Someone had to prepare the chemicals, take the photograph, and then produce these prints. Editor: So it’s not just about the beautiful architecture, but the means of making it? Curator: Exactly! Consider what this World's Fair *meant* at the time: American industrial power on full display. And Arnold, the photographer, became another cog in that machine. His photography showcases achievements, but at what cost? Who built these magnificent structures? Where did the resources come from? Editor: I see. So it's not just a cityscape, it's a document of a particular economic and social moment captured and distributed using new, rapidly evolving technology. It prompts consideration of the fair’s construction materials, workforce, and implications. Curator: Precisely. The photograph’s materiality prompts critical inquiry. It is far more than just a landscape. Editor: It changes my perception of the image completely. Thank you!