National Treasure: Progress and the Past
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William H. Rau, Chestnut Street Crowded, the Great Business Thoroughfare of the City of Homes, Philadelphia, U.S.A, ca. 1900.
The text places Philadelphia on par with the famed and prosperous other “great cities,” of the country, while also distancing the metropolis from them, when it claims the preservation of historical values are a sign of superiority.
The juxtaposition of electricity with a statue of the historical figure William Penn emphasizes that Philadelphia is both modern and reverent of the past. By placing Philadelphia and its structures in a global, cosmopolitan context, the text suggests that it is a model city.
By placing Philadelphia and its structures in a global, cosmopolitan context, the text suggests that it is a model city. The passage also implies that if other cities within America and around the world achieved such a successful balance of historicity and modernity, prosperity would abound.