Faces From An American Dream features black-and-white photographs by Mr. Desht, who notes that “for much of the 20th century, Pennsylvania was the most heavily and diversely industrialized state in America. Pittsburgh was famous for thirty miles of steel mills, Philadelphia billed itself the “workshop of the world,” the Pennsylvania Railroad traversed half the country and the state’s anthracite fueled the nation.” By the 1980’s,” Desht continues “both cities were examples of Rust Belt de-industrialization as America’s economy shifted from industrial manufacturing to service and information. Faces From An American Dream depicts how this transition re-defined the American industrial city and what it meant for skilled and unskilled workers in search of the American dream.
