Replica van een Turkse bazaar op de World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 1893

This photogravure by Charles Dudley Arnold captures a replica of a Turkish bazaar at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The photogravure process itself, involving etching a photographic image onto a copper plate for printing, was a relatively new technology at the time, allowing for mass reproduction of images with rich tonal depth. Here, it serves to document a staged commercial encounter. The image presents a bazaar, an arrangement of commodities for sale, displayed to entice visitors. This meticulously constructed scene speaks volumes about cultural exchange, commodification, and representation within the context of the World's Fair. It suggests the labor involved in creating the goods on display and the labor of the people who produced the photograph itself. Understanding the materials and processes behind this image, and the social context in which it was created, encourages us to question the distinctions between documentation, artistry, commerce, and cultural exchange.