-Skyscraper c. 1900s

The A. C. Williams Company made this “Skyscraper” out of cast iron, but the making of it feels as if it were modeled by hand. Just look at the surface! There's a beautiful imperfection to the grid of windows, each one slightly different from the next. The gold paint on top gives it a kind of regal quality, like a crown. Up close you can see the way the white paint has chipped away, revealing the dark metal underneath. That aging or weathering gives it a sense of history, as if it's been standing for ages, watching the city grow up around it. It reminds me of some of the architectural models made by folk artists or outsider artists – people who were self-taught and just made art out of a deep need to express something. This piece is a functional object, but it also contains a kind of innocent, hopeful vision of urban life. Art is about capturing a feeling, and this skyscraper, in its own humble way, captures the excitement and promise of the modern city.