At the Universal Exhibition: Security check at the entrance: the bald need to lift their hats, and the the short-sighted need to remove their glasses Possibly 1867 - 1920

Curator: This little print… it’s by Charles Maurand, possibly created between 1867 and 1920. It's called “At the Universal Exhibition: Security check at the entrance: the bald need to lift their hats, and the short-sighted need to remove their glasses.” Editor: What strikes me immediately is the… cheeky awkwardness of the scene. Everyone looks so put out! And the artist’s rendering, with those almost frantic lines, amplifies the chaos. Curator: It does capture a sort of controlled frenzy, doesn't it? It’s an engraving, a technique that lends itself to such crisp, almost barbed lines. It really captures the experience, the tension of a modern crowd in an exhibition meant to celebrate unity and progress. Editor: Precisely! We see how security measures, ostensibly for everyone's safety, inevitably create hierarchies of access and bodies, right? The bald and the short-sighted suddenly become marked, their physical "deviations" flagged. Curator: There’s such dry wit in targeting these most innocuous characteristics. Like, of all things to be suspicious about... But the drawing’s more than just satirical, though, isn’t it? Look at those faces. They’re portraits, but also caricatures, types. The exasperation is practically etched onto their faces! Editor: Absolutely. Maurand taps into that deeper anxiety about difference, especially in the context of nationhood and these displays of globalism. It suggests that belonging isn’t so easily granted, even at a world's fair. Curator: The title spells out that people attending should have their vision tested. Everyone becomes part of the spectacle, right? They become actors performing their identity for the gatekeepers. The exhibition space becomes less about celebration and more about surveillance. Editor: Indeed! It forces you to consider who designs those checks and balances. This small engraving holds within it this immense sociopolitical commentary on accessibility. Even if Maurand had the same insight or perspective, what it reflects back at us now matters much more. Curator: In essence, a seemingly trivial moment blown up into a microcosm of broader social control mechanisms. Editor: Precisely! And now, when entering this gallery or exhibition, consider all those who had to struggle for that same entry.