The title of this project, American Pageant, was the name of my high school U.S. history textbook. In retrospect, I see it as a strange title for a book that claims to cover American history in its entirety. Unlike the word “history,” the word “pageant” calls to mind a sense of inauthenticity; it suggests an event that prioritizes spectacle over truth. A pageant makes a promise to be endlessly interesting. But can we ask so much of the whole of American history? If we do, if we insist that our nation’s history be not only valuable but entertaining, what kind of nation do we construct?
Some of my earliest encounters with American history as a child took place during the summer when my parents would take me to visit Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Old Sturbridge Village is a living history museum—a type of museum that simulates a past time period within a reconstructed historical setting and hires “interpreters” dressed in period costume to engage with visitors. As a kid, I loved Sturbridge Village in quite the same way that I loved Disney World. Visiting the village promised a whole host of novel sensory experiences and opportunities for genuine fun: riding a horse-drawn carriage along a cobblestone street, dipping my own tallow candle, trying old-fashioned candy, or writing on parchment with a feather quill. Because of their popularity, especially among young children, living history has played a powerful role in the construction of our collective national consciousness.
In the summer of 2022, I began photographing living history museums. These museums and their casts of “costumed historians” expose, construct, and maintain certain American mythologies. Furthermore, they turn history into something you can buy a ticket to experience, which raises the question: what precisely is that experience being bought and sold, and what are the consequences of that transaction? I have since expanded this project from focusing exclusively on living history to looking more broadly at the culture of historical tourism. I am interested in the people who choose to spend their vacations visiting historical sites—museums, monuments, battlefields, local historical societies, etc.—and the diverse ways they are using these sites—for education, spiritual pilgrimage, reunion, family bonding, celebration, and play.