Interior of Electricity Building, World's Columbian Exposition 1894

Editor: Here we have William Henry Jackson's photograph, "Interior of Electricity Building, World's Columbian Exposition." The scale is impressive! What strikes you about this image? Curator: I see a celebration of industrial progress. Look at the intricate metalwork and the sheer volume of materials on display. It's a curated landscape of production and consumption, designed to impress upon the viewer the sheer scale of industrial might. Editor: So, it’s less about the artistic merit and more about the…stuff? Curator: Precisely. This image serves as a document of labor and the tangible results of that labor. It invites us to consider the social context of such displays and how they shaped perceptions of progress. Editor: I never considered the photo as a document of labor! Thanks for the insights. Curator: My pleasure, considering context is key.