Construction of a Skyscraper c. 1930

Editor: Here we have Sherril Schell's photograph, "Construction of a Skyscraper," from the Harvard Art Museums. It's a sepia-toned image with a dramatic upward angle. I'm struck by the contrast between the towering steel framework and the tiny human figure. What social commentary might Schell be making here? Curator: It really captures the zeitgeist, doesn't it? This image likely reflects the social and political climate of its time, particularly the rise of industrialization. Consider the worker’s precarious position against the backdrop of unchecked urban development. How does this contrast inform our understanding of progress and labor? Editor: That's a powerful point. It makes me think about whose stories get told in these grand narratives of progress. Curator: Exactly. And how photography itself played a role in shaping those narratives, both celebrating and critiquing them. It invites us to consider whose perspectives were privileged and whose were marginalized.