Gezicht op het West Pavillion (met Italiaans restaurant) op het terrein van de wereldtentoonstelling in St. Louis (Louisiana Purchase Exposition), 1904 1904

Jan Schüller captured this photograph of the West Pavilion at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904. The fair, ostensibly a celebration of the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase, also functioned as a not-so-subtle display of American imperial power, which occurred during a period when racial segregation was institutionalized in the United States. The inclusion of an "Italian restaurant" points to the intricate web of cultural exchange and appropriation that accompanied such events. World's fairs were spaces where different cultures met, often reinforcing existing power dynamics. This particular world's fair included human zoos where people from the Phillipines were put on display. Schüller's photograph thus invites reflection on themes of progress, cultural identity, and the complex interplay of power and representation at the turn of the 20th century. It's a reminder that these celebrations of human achievement were often built on foundations of inequality.