Gezicht op het tuinbouwgebouw, ontworpen door Jenney and Mundie op de World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 1893

Charles Dudley Arnold captured this image of the Horticultural Building at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The World’s Fair was a declaration of a new American identity, a confident nation ready to enter the 20th century. The fair presented a highly curated narrative of progress and civilization, yet this narrative often obscured the realities of race, labor, and class. The fair celebrated American industrial prowess, but it was built on the labor of marginalized communities, who were notably absent from the displays of achievement. The monumental architecture, like this glass Horticultural Building, was designed to inspire awe and demonstrate American ingenuity. But for whom was this spectacle intended, and whose stories were left untold? Consider the layers of history embedded in this image, reflecting both the promise and the exclusions of the American dream.