Are we still dreaming?
Exploring the nuances of the American dream through AI Image Generation
In this AI-generated tintype portrait, which captures a young immigrant's arrival at Ellis Island in the mid-19th century, a poignant narrative unfolds, one that reveals the nuanced contradictions that are inherent to the American dream. This photograph evokes the tension between aspiration and reality, as the immigrant's hopeful gaze meets the uncertainty of a new beginning. Within the historical backdrop of mass immigration during the mid nineteenth century, juxtaposed against contemporary immigration policies, the image serves as a stark reminder of the enduring struggle for immigrants. Moreover, the nature of the identifying, passport-like, photograph sheds light on the systemic violence embedded within institutional structures, both then and now, that perpetuate inequality and marginalization.
Yet, amid these challenges, the allure of America persists—a beacon of hope and opportunity for those seeking a better life. It prompts us to question why so many continue to choose a country imperfect in its promises yet rich in possibility. Thus, the recontextualization of the American dream emerges, not merely as an individual pursuit of success, but as a collective yearning for a more inclusive and liberated society. It is a vision where the pursuit of happiness transcends borders and barriers, fostering a shared understanding of genuine freedom.
Between 1870 and 1900 roughly 12 million people immigrated to the United States of America.1 Whether searching for freedom and economic prosperity, or escaping physical or political violence, each one of these individuals came to this country in pursuit of a better life. Many from this initial wave were Europeans escaping dire economic circumstances and famine. Another great number came from Asia in search of riches during the Gold Rush. Whatever their origin or reason for coming here, this first large influx of immigrants established a culture of immigration to the United States and largely contributed to the conceptualization of the “American Dream”: the idea that through enough hard work, anyone is capable of achieving prosperity. While this sentiment may have emerged from a patriotic, bygone era, it has clearly remained popular given that in 2022 alone, the number of immigrants that came to this country, likely seeking the same dream, surpassed two and one half million.
Now this isn’t without reason. It would be a disservice to the millions of immigrants that have made the journey to the States to not acknowledge their success, and the crucially important role that they play within American society. According to the US Department of Labor, as of 2022, nearly 20% of the United States labor force was foreign-born,3 and beyond economic impact, immigrants contribute to the culture of our nation in a variety of influential ways from the music industry, to academia, to the culinary arts. Clearly for some, the classic portrayal of the American Dream is not a fantasy, but a reality.
I have attempted to capture the hope instilled by this reality, that one might realize their dreams of a better life in a land filled with opportunity, in my AI generated image. The full frontal view of the portrait’s subject, along with his direct gaze, are meant to elicit a feeling of ambition. The garments that are worn by the photo’s subject, as well as the medium of tintype photography, were specifically chosen to encapsulate the portrait within the timeframe of the mid-to-late nineteenth century, the time during which the American dream was born.
However, within the narrative of American immigration lies a paradox—this nation was built on the dreams and aspirations of migrants, but still remains riddled with systemic injustices and inequalities. Despite the promise of peace and prosperity, many face discrimination, exploitation, and hardship upon arrival to these shores. These negative experiences are often amplified by the institutional nature of the immigration process. Millions of people get filtered through this imperfect system, one with little respect for their personal histories or heritage, where they are often thought of as a statistic before they are thought of as a human. As misspelled names are stamped onto IDs, photos are snapped of these newcomers from far away lands, typically captioned by their country of origin before anything else. These photos serve to cement these people’s place in this country as others and outsiders, not as people.
The ways in which this style of identification photography threatens the identity of the subject are vast and nuanced. While an identifying photograph is not always inherently violent, the nature of these images can serve to alienate an individual’s perception of themself. In Marianne Hirsch and Leo Spitzer’s, School Photos in Liquid Time, they highlight the negative impacts that institutional photography can have. They write that for many, these kinds of photos may be all that an individual has, “showing an institutionally constructed identity, rather than a personal or familial one.” This idea has perpetuated society since the invention of the photograph. Since the beginning, identification and carceral photography has been an agent of systemic violence. This idea was brought up in N.R. Fleetwood’s, Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration. In her chapter on the Historicization of Carceral Identification, Fleetwood paraphrases the work of photographer Allen Sekula, writing, “soon after the advent of photographic technology, photography was used as a double system, both aspirational and repressive.”
This duality is something that I have attempted to capture in my work here by exhibiting the hope that arrival to this country can provide, but capturing it in a photographic style that threatens the individuality of the subject and is innately othering. How is one supposed to achieve true success in a place where they are immediately made to feel like they don’t belong? This immediate ostracization has profound impacts on immigrant populations and the effects of failed assimilation are not only immediately felt by immigrants, but by several generations to follow. According to a study conducted by Erin Hamilton, a sociologist at U.C. Davis, “On average, children of immigrants are more likely than children of natives to live in poverty, experience food insecurity, and live in crowded housing.” For many it seems that the supposed American Dream is closer to the American Nightmare, one where they are stuck in a foreign place where they feel like they do not belong, treated as less than, by a country that promised them everything.
In contemplating the American dream through AI-generated imagery and historical narratives, one confronts its enduring relevance amid the complexities and contradictions of contemporary society. Immigrants, drawn by the promise of a better tomorrow, constantly face this paradox—a nation founded on their aspirations yet riddled with systemic injustices that render them disadvantaged. Having spent my entire life in the United States, I have witnessed, first hand, the fractured state of a nation that promises more than it delivers. Thus, it is necessary to recontextualize the American dream by transforming the short-sighted and antiquated perspective that has existed since the beginning of American immigration, that one comes to this country to achieve individual success, to envision a society where opportunity transcends beyond the individual and beyond borders, fostering true inclusivity and liberation for all. As we grapple with this dichotomy, the imperative to confront injustices and redefine our collective vision becomes clear. Only by dismantling barriers of the past can we awaken to a dream where every individual's historical identity is honored, and the promise of America shines bright for all who seek its embrace.
