Electricity Building and Fountain, World's Columbian Exposition 1894

Editor: This is William Henry Jackson’s "Electricity Building and Fountain, World's Columbian Exposition." I’m struck by how monumental it feels. What symbols and imagery stand out to you? Curator: The building itself acts as a symbol of progress, an imposing architectural feat representing the electrifying future. The orderly rows of columns speak of Enlightenment ideals and aspirations of order and reason. Editor: So, it's more than just a building; it's a statement? Curator: Precisely! And the fountain? Water, a source of life, juxtaposed with the novel force of electricity. It signals a harnessing of nature, a mastery…or at least, the aspiration of mastery. What do you make of that lone figure by the water? Editor: Maybe a symbol of humanity contemplating progress? I never would have noticed that! Thanks!