ABSTRACT
The idea of a single venue for the display of photographs and photographic apparatus had been generated by the awkward separation of the technical and artistic displays of photography at the 1873 Vienna Exposition. Photographic Hall may have been the result of late planning, but its purpose fit perfectly into place with the lobbying efforts of the National Photographic Association. It was in the interests of the group to show the apparatus and commercial objects of photography in addition to photographs as pictures. The architecture of Photographic Hall followed the basic, adapted French Renaissance design by Centennial architect, Hermann Joseph Schwarzmann. The availability of display space in Photographic Hall was initially based on a first-come first-serve system which required photographers to apply for individual spaces. Photographic exhibitors were required to provide their own showcases, shelves, display counters, and were responsible as well for the transportation, unpacking, and arranging the items for display.
