Gezicht op een straat met landenpaviljoens op de World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 1893

Here we have Charles Dudley Arnold's photograph, taken in 1893, capturing a street view at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This image is more than just a record of an event; it's a snapshot of a world on display, teeming with the complexities of cultural exchange and representation at the close of the 19th century. Notice how the pavilions, meant to showcase the nations of the world, line the street, creating a corridor of global encounter. The fair took place against a backdrop of growing industrialization and imperial expansion and offered a stage for nations to assert their identities. Yet, who had the power to represent themselves, and how, becomes a question of race, class, and colonial power. Arnold's photograph invites us to consider what narratives were being constructed, what voices were amplified, and whose stories were left untold. How did this carefully curated vision of the world reflect, or perhaps mask, the social and political realities of the time? It reminds us that every representation is a choice, a perspective, and an invitation to reflect on the stories we tell about ourselves and others.