Clark Street, North from Madison 1873

Lovejoy and Foster created this stereoscopic photograph of Clark Street in Chicago, circa 1873. It captures a bustling urban scene filled with horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians. The vertical lines of the telegraph poles stand out, piercing the sky like modern totems. Consider how these lines, symbols of rapid communication, contrast with the ancient human desire to reach the heavens, echoed in the spires of cathedrals or the pillars of classical temples. These poles, though practical, also speak to a deeper, almost subconscious yearning to connect and transcend. We see this yearning mirrored in other advancements, from the Tower of Babel to the Eiffel Tower, each structure embodies a collective ambition and expresses human potential, engaging us on a primeval, psychological level. Thus, technology advances and the desire to connect, creating new vertical symbols, which are not linear but cyclical, resurfacing throughout history.