Investigate · Chicago 1893

Exterior of Woman's Building, while under construction, at World's Fair, Chicago, Illinois LCCN91727847

2 clues in this photo

1Repair scaffold

Scaffolding on a facade that already looks finished

The 1892 'construction' photo of the Woman's Building shows scaffolding wrapped around a facade whose arcades, pediment and window openings already appear complete. Stacks of lumber sit at the left, on bare ground among leafless trees.

The questionIs this scaffold building the facade, or refinishing one that was already there?

2No work camp

No cranes, no camp

Apart from the lumber stacks, the frame shows no cranes, no derricks, no worker housing and no large material yards.

The questionWhere did the thousands of workers live and where were the materials staged for about 200 buildings?

Photo: Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952, photographer · Public domain · via Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons

Chicago 1893 Case file

Same kind of clue, elsewhere

#3No work camp · Philadelphia 1876A 'construction' photo of a finished hallIf this is 'construction,' why is the building already finished and only the displays going in?

#8Repair scaffold · Vienna 1873An open roof and a bare iron lanternIs the roof being closed for the first time, or reroofed?

#9Repair scaffold · Paris 1878The Trocadéro wrapped in scaffoldIs this new construction, or repair and refitting of an existing structure?

No work camp · London 1851A finished interior, statues still shroudedIs this a building being completed, or an existing hall being dressed for opening?

No work camp · Paris 1889A bare field under the towerWhere were the material yard and workforce for a tower of this size?

No work camp · Omaha 1898A light, plain pavilion: a contrary detailWhy does this pavilion look so different from the sculpted palaces on the Grand Court, and what does the contrast say about how each was made?

All clues others missed →