Statue of Liberty, World's Columbian Exposition 1894

Curator: This is William Henry Jackson's photograph, "Statue of Liberty, World's Columbian Exposition." The image itself is around 25 by 35 centimeters. It looks monumental despite the relatively modest size. Editor: It has an oddly clinical feel, doesn’t it? The stark greyscale and the statue's isolated placement against the fair's architecture make it feel less about liberty and more about...imperialism? Curator: Interesting. The statue, made for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, was constructed of iron and plaster, then painted white. A temporary monument. It speaks to the use of industrial materials to create a spectacle. Editor: And the spectacle serves a purpose. In this context, the Statue of Liberty, positioned at a world fair celebrating industrial progress, arguably obscures the labor and social inequalities that powered that progress. Curator: Perhaps. I see it as a negotiation between high ideals and the gritty reality of industrial production in that period. Editor: I concede that it is a complex intersection, and this image certainly makes us consider that relationship.