The 1893 Columbian World's Exposition in Chicago
Learning about the 1893 Columbian World's Exposition filled me with a sad longing and wonderment that such an event could take place centuries ago whereas today harsh political climates discourage the spread of foreign people and ideas. The fair was a result of rapid urbanization and increasing populations in cities like Chicago and was an incredible show of strength as the newest technologies and the best of many states were displayed for a diverse audience. It was an astounding example of a well-anticipated event that blended culture and ideas from different parts of the globe, had a lasting impact on the way women expressed themselves in the 19th century and influenced further multicultural gatherings and displays of ingenuity.
In the article, "Throw aside the Veil of Helplessness: A Southern Feminist at the 1893 World's Fair", written by Regina Megan Palm she declares, "The fair was held to observe the four-hundredth anniversary of the "discovery" of America, and women made a place for themselves in this celebration by constructing a building dedicated to their history and achievements." The article goes on to say that women were also given a platform on which to advocate for equal rights in the form of the World's Congress Auxiliaries. At the World's Fair, the revolution of technology and sharing of common interests for the improvement of society gave way to even more impactful revolutions of human ideals and equality.
The Scientific American wrote an extensive review of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, including descriptions of new technology, cultural displays and overwhelmingly impressive architectural achievements. Included is a description of the Prince of Whales Ambulance, "...it is most complete. The wagon is lit by electric light, is well ventilated, and has two or three stretchers, which are prevented from being jostled by rubber pads...". As well as a summary of a Japanese spectacle, "Hundreds of paper lanterns were stretched over the winding walks of the Wooded Island and miniature glass globes in which were small candles were scattered among the flowerbeds...The bright colors of the Japanese lanterns was a fine color effect seen through the trees and from the promenades surrounding the lagoon and opposite the island, the flowerbeds seemed to be covered with myriads of fire-flies of many colors and unusual size..." The article written by T.C. Clarke he endlessly praises the marvels of architecture, "Not the hill of the Acropolis of Athens, when covered with marble temples, nor the Roman forum in the days of Augustus, ever showed such an artistic grouping of columns, arches and long lines of facade," and encourages the public to attend the fantastic event before its poor construction threatens to burn the entire display to the ground. The author writes with wonder and fervor, as apparent in his lengthly descriptions of all that he observed at the fair and is very obviously impressed with all that it displays and represents: the improvement and progress made by humanity.
According to "Women Muralists, Modern Women and Feminine Spaces: Constructing Gender at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair", "Women artists of the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition were able to enter the field of public mural painting because of the gendered associations of the buildings and rooms in which they were asked to exhibit...These exposition spaces were similar to home-based studios and women's art institutions as each of them was understood and codified as feminine and so provided women artists with socially sanctioned space in which to work or exhibit." The World's Fair was one of the first places women were given sanctioned space to work and display and the building was designed by a woman. The fact that the idea wasn't struck down before fruition is a massive milestone in the progression of a movement fighting for the recognition by the whole of society that women are perfectly capable of tasks previously only given to men.
The Frontier in American History speech given by Fredrick Jackson Turner was also given at the World's fair in Chicago and though the ideas it presented were not directly associated with women's rights or urbanization, the immense gathering of people that the fair collected were what made his speech so impactful.
"The principal aim of these fairs was the packaging of world cultures and new technologies as entertainment for consumption by a mass American audience," says an article I stumbled upon called Walt Disney's EPCOT and the World Fair's performance Tradition that touches on the influence of the World's Fair on the construction of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow or EPCOT. The World's Fair influenced further gatherings of international exchange and can be credited with the inspiration a Walt Disney park. "In May 1972, Disney executive Vine Jefferd's suggested that an International Exhibit Area could be presented as a "permanent World's Fair". The likes of which would have been guaranteed to collect swarms of people and new and exciting technology.
Walt Disney's EPCOT and the World Fair's performance Tradition
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