{"id":1184,"date":"2017-10-15T23:19:05","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T06:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/miriamposner.com\/classes\/dh101f17\/?p=1184"},"modified":"2017-10-15T23:19:55","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T06:19:55","slug":"examining-inventory-of-1940-new-yorks-world-fair-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/miriamposner.com\/classes\/dh101f17\/2017\/10\/15\/examining-inventory-of-1940-new-yorks-world-fair-album\/","title":{"rendered":"Examining Inventory of 1940 New York’s World Fair Album"},"content":{"rendered":"

I selected the Inventory of 1940 New York World\u2019s Fair Album, 1940<\/a> collection for this week\u2019s blog post. The topic interested me because I knew that the New York World\u2019s Fair was one of the biggest exhibits in the world, where many countries showcased their ideas and projects for the future. This album contains 23 \u201chand-colored photographs by an unidentified amateur photographer documenting a stay in New York City in 1940.\u201d The abstract immediately drew me in because the description made the experience of looking at the collection reminiscent of looking at a stranger\u2019s photo album from his\/her vacation. It had a nostalgic feel to it, and makes me curious as to what the photographer felt compelled to document during his\/her stay.<\/p>\n

Based on the materials in this collection, which are photographs, we dive into historical narratives about how it was like to be a visitor at the 1940 New York World\u2019s Fair. The photographs capture images of buildings and installations, such as the Ford Building and General Motors Building, as well as other places in Manhattan like the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and Riverside Church. The narrative seems more like a personal one, rather than one that is solely informational, because the collection of 23 images are taken from not just the fair, but from the city with a personal camera and kept in a string-bound album.<\/p>\n

The collection may fail to tell an expansive narrative because it is just one person\u2019s compilation of images that he\/she chose to document and his\/her handwritten captions for each. We fail to see other people\u2019s perspectives that may give us more insight about the 1940s New York World\u2019s Fair. For example, we miss narratives from participants who actually contributed to the fair, those who judged or reported on buildings\/installations, or the stakeholders who deemed what was important and not important at the fair. Although the photographer\u2019s documentations do not give us a ton of information or show us a diverse narrative, the images do at least give us some valuable insight on one person\u2019s perspective of being in New York City at an exciting historical event.<\/p>\n

In order to have a greater understanding of the 1940 New York World\u2019s Fair, some sources that may be useful include:<\/p>\n