Opbouw van de Nederlandse afdeling in de International Exhibition Philadelphia, 1876 1876

This photograph was taken by the Centennial Photographic Company in 1876, documenting the construction of the Dutch section at the International Exhibition in Philadelphia. The image shows a work in progress, a carefully arranged display of Dutch commerce and culture. The photographer made use of then-new industrial materials, such as the plate glass of the huge exhibition hall, and photography itself, of course, as a new means of mass communication. Note that the exhibition booth is being built from timber, sawn and assembled to create a convincing, but temporary display. Consider what it took to produce this image: the labor required to build the hall and the Dutch section; the workers who extracted the raw materials. This scene reveals the enormous amount of effort required to stage the fair. Even in its unfinished state, the photograph speaks volumes about the connections between design, labor, and the global economy of the late 19th century.