Chicago’s World Fair, or otherwise known as the World’s Columbian Exposition opened in the year 1893. The Exposition was to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to America. Not only was it a commemoration, but it was also an attempt to outshine the Exposition Universelle in France that occurred in 1889, with it’s impressive building structure at the time, which was the Eiffel Tower. American pride needed to be redeemed and the Exposition would be proof in showing the world that America was a superior nation. To determine to what extent the fair was indeed a great influence in American society, it is essential to analyze the cultural, industrial, and technological effects that occurred. To start with, the fair influenced greatly …show more content…
The Manufacture Building was without a doubt, a marvel that brought awe to the people because of its exhibits and architecture. Not only was the Manufacture Building of cultural importance, but as well as the Midway Plaisance, where displays of native villages greatly inspired circuses to include tribal people. As well as the theatrical entertainment showcased in Midway help establish theme parks such as Disneyland and Disney World (Rose). Since the exhibits gave such an impact to America, that after the fair, “many of the exhibits found their way into museums around the country, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Philadelphia Commercial Museum. Chicago's Field Museum owed its origin to the fair and opened in 1894 in the former Palace of Fine Arts, a building that would later be reconstructed to become the Museum of Science and Industry,” (Rydell). The displays impacted Americans considerably, that it would be a disgrace for such exhibits to be destroyed, so in turn, it was then decided to be added in museums and be viewed by the people to see its grand prominence. Furthermore, women’s role in society grew as they persisted in having their own building, which was then called the Woman’s building. Thus creating a Board …show more content…
New technological advancements were produced in the city for the people’s viewing. It was such a phenomenon to see all the various new inventions that were displayed in the fair that many people have never seen before. Such description was given of the people’s view on the fair, “Within the fair’s buildings visitors encountered devices and concepts new to them and to the world. They heard live music played by an orchestra in New York and transmitted to the fair by long-distance telephone. They saw the first moving pictures on Edison’s Kinetoscope, and they watched, stunned, as lightning chattered from Nikola Tesla’s body. They saw even more ungodly things—the first zipper; the first-ever all-electric kitchen, which included an automatic dishwasher;” (Larson 247). The most innovative contraption seen in the fair was Nikola Tesla’s AC electricity system that overshadowed Edison’s direct current system. Tesla’s system was a huge success as “lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted and the first large-scale test of alternating current...These were important engineering milestones,” (Larson 254). Milestones, indeed, as this was a new sense of technology that was being brought out in the fair, making the fair a huge success for it’s technological influence in American
The Chicago World's Fair of 1893 changed America in enormous ways. Probably the most prominent being that it directly changed America's and the world's perception of America and our capabilities. Not only was it the first in America, but the Chicago World's Fair propelled America...
From first impression, Burnham found that Chicago had a murky factorial image lined with a “fantastic stink that lingered in the vicinity of Union Stock yards” (41). The dreadful surface that Chicago was maintaining allowed Burnham to be determined to collaborate and recreate its image. His efforts would also make a reputational comeback for America’s poor representation in the Exposition Universelle (15). One major feature that transformed public opinion of the state was to illuminate the entire fair with clean white buildings that outlined the goodness of the area (252). Eye-catching whiteness contradicted the presumed dirtiness of the town. Making a contradiction from what was assumed of the city would allow the fair to generate a much bigger transformation. The lights also gave the fair a unique, whimsical edge. “The lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted”, incorporating new technology in a grand-scale way merely to keep the theme of brightness ongoing throughout each day and night (254). Most importantly, it displayed the town’s potential to become a thriving and respected city. The theme of whiteness interlaced with the neoclassical outline in The World Fair’s de...
The United States of the Gilded Age was not the superpower is it today. At best, it was considered a powerful manufacturing and industrial country, but little more. Culturally and politically, it was an upstart to the relatively old and established European powers of the day. At this point in history, much of the American West was still frontier country, relatively undeveloped. The North east, especially New York, was the only part of the US considered by the world to be somewhat civilized and cultured. Even what we think of as east today, most notably Chicago, was thought of as uncivilized. Getting the World’s Fair in Chicago was their chance to prove otherwise. It was also a chance for the whole country to prove its cultural power. With the Fair’s success came new respect from the world, particularly Europe. The US was no longer viewed as much as a second rate power with no culture of its own and no global influence. The fa...
The World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, was an event celebrating American invention and innovation on the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of America. The fair was open for six months and was visited by an estimated 27.5 million people. The Fair was a major influence on the spirt invention associated with the Gilded Age, but it was also influenced by the spirit of the time.
In 1901 Cass Gilbert (1859-1934) designed the elaborate hall for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held in Saint Louis in 1904. This short-lived structure deserves attention, as it was a main focus of the fair and an important benchmark in its designer's career.
In 1893 a world fair was held in Chicago Illinois to celebrate the 4thcentenniel of Columbus discovering the Americas. The exposition displayed grand buildings with beautiful architecture, hundreds of exhibits ranging from exotic tribes of Africa, to new inventions, expertly constructed landscape, and astounding attractions such as the first Ferris wheel. The fair lasted for six months and had over 27 million visitors, including ¼ of the American population.
...he building would not be designed the way they are now in the city. The fair allowed Chicago to be the great city it is today and have the magnificent downtown envied by many other cities.
The “White City” was a vast collection of architecture and arts that were put on display in the year 1893. The Chicago World Fair, also called the “White City”, was a major event in American history that impacted America’s culture, economic, and industry. The Chicago World Fair was held to honor Columbus’ discovery of the New World. The real reason why it was made was to proudly have back their wealth and power. Larson said, “the tower not only assured the eternal fame of its designer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel but also offered graphic proof that France had edged out the United States for dominance in the realm of iron and steel…”(15). To accomplish this, architects led by Daniel Burnham and John Root made numerous buildings and beautiful scenery
In 1893, the great Chicago World’s Fair took place. Just climbing to the second largest populated city in America, Chicago had a lot to prove. The World’s Fair was a perfect opportunity for Chicago to come together and show that they can compete with other large cities like New York and Philadelphia. For the World’s Fair to be as successful as it was, there was a need for leaders, innovators, new inventions, and tremendous attractions. Without these, the fair could not have been designed and constructed as well as it was. Eventually, Chicago had convinced the entire United States that they could be just as powerful and influential as all the other larger, big-name cities of the country. America transformed into an advanced country as a result of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Traxel, David. 1898: The Birth of the American Century. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1998. Print.
A line of carriages carries important people, including President Grover Cleveland and Daniel Burnham, to the fair at Jackson Park. President Cleveland speaks at a ceremony signifying the much-anticipated opening of the exposition. The general consensus among the crowd is that the fair is a success, despite the mud-covered walkways and roads, unfinished landscaping, and unfinished Ferris wheel. Attendance registers between 500,000 and 600,000 people. However, the cause for celebration doesn't last long. Day two of the fair reels in roughly 10,000 people. Through the days to come after the fair had officially opened, many banks are forced to close and the stock market crashes. Burnham and his brigade of architects, draftsmen, engineers, and contractors had accomplished so much in an impossibly short time, but apparently not enough to overcome the damping effect of the fast-degrading economy. Many aspects of the fair were still unfinished including the elevators, the Ferris wheel being half finished, and roadways were still submerged under mud. “First and foremost, Burnham knew, the fair had to be finished, but in the meantime lures had to be cast to encourage people to shed their fears of financial ruin and come to Chicago” (page, 241). Burnham appointed Frank Millet to come up with new ideas on getting greater attendance at the fair. Millet implemented things such as fireworks, shows and parades. Millet even dedicated specific days
In 1921, the New York State and New York City Departments of Education sponsored the America’s Making Exposition. The objective of...
“When people arrived in the morning on the 17th there was a display of horses, cattle and farm products” (Drury 807). “The first Montgomery County Agricultural Fair was held in Dayton at Swaynie’s Hotel on East First Street October 17th and 18th, 1839” (Drury 807). 1853, the state fair was held on Washington Street, the same year the county fair was held there (Drury 807) then in 1874, “the Southern Ohio Fair Association began having fairs on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds for fifteen years” (Drury 808). This set the stepping stone for many fairs in the years in counting. When individuals see the Montgomery County Fairgrounds today, it is seen as just being a place where random fairs or talent shows are held at. Not knowing its history, one could be right. Much has changed on the Montgomery County Fairgrounds; from its architecture to the people that now visit it.
One story describes the planning of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair that had been proposed to celebrate the four hundred years since Columbus landed in America. The idea didn’t get much attention until a year earlier, when Paris held a world fair and unveiled the Eiffel Tower. Not to be outdone, America decided now it was a matter of who would hold a fair that would put France’s fair to shame. There was a dilemma of where the fair would be built New York or Chicago, but votes were tallied up and the majority of the vote was Chicago. Among the many architects in Chicago, the main job of the designing the fair was given to Daniel H. Burnham. He needed a companion to help him with the design and other features of the fair, so he chose John Root, a very close friend of his and former associate. Because of the amount of time it took to decide where to build the fair, The White City was believed to be impossible to construct because of time con...
One half of the story was of a man named Daniel Burnham, who was a famous architect of his time. It’s in this half of the story that can you see the good part of the city. Pride can be seen mainly throughout his story. His life in these pages was based on the construction of the World Columbian Exposition which was a fair held in Chicago in 1893. This magnificent fair was in honor of one of America’s most well known discoverers, Christopher C. Columbus. This was the 400th anniversary of his discovery of the new world. Through Burnham’s pride and his determination, he was able to complete the fair in almost a year. However, it was not truly ready for opening day due to a few construction issues, such as the world’s f...