Women's Pavilion at the Columbian Exposition

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The Women's Pavilion

The Columbian Exposition was notable for its impressive architecture and large international attendance. Of particular importance was the Women's Pavilion. The first of its kind to have been designed by a female architect, it revealed much about the social plight of women at that time, and the need for further progress in the movement for equal rights. While its existence did not trigger significant changes for the Women's Movement, this pavilion was certainly a promising first step that would set a precedent for women's involvement in later years.

All aspects of women's involvement in the Chicago fair were overseen by the Board of Lady Managers. This governing body, the first of its kind, had authority over all the decisions regarding the Women's Pavilion. It was headed by Mrs. Potter Palmer of Chicago, and composed of a diverse group of women from all over the United States. There were two women members from each state and territory as well as nine from Chicago. Invitations were extended to women across the world for their participation. Delegations from England, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Russia, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Venezuela, Algeria, Siam and Japan all participated in the planning ,and particularly the interior decoration. Many of these organizers belonged to the upper-class or even aristocracy of their societies.

The first women's pavilion had been erected in 1876 in Philadelphia. The previous year, women had been given their own section in the main fair building, but at the last minute this decision was revoked. Instead, women were told if they wanted a display, it would have to be in their own building and from their o...

... middle of paper ...

... was still a long way to go on the path to equality between the sexes.

Works Cited:

White, Trumbull. The World Columbian Exposition ,Chicago 1893. Philadelphia. P.W. Ziegler & Co. 1893

Ralph, Julian. Harper's Chicago and the World's Fair New York, Harper and Brothers, 1893. 161-172

Bolotin, Norm. The World's Columbian Exposition: the Chicago World's Fair Washington, D.C., Preservation Press, 1992.

Paul Greenhalgh. Ephemeral Vistas: The Expositions Universelle, Great Exhibitions, And World's Fairs, 1851- 1939 "Women: Exhibiting and Exhibited" Manchester, U.K.: Manuchester University Press, 1988. 174-195

"World's Columbian Exposition of 1893" Paul V. Galvin Library Digital History Collection, Illinois Institute of Technology. http://columbus.gl.iit.edu/

Torre, Susan. "Women in Design" Design Book Review 1991, Spring n20. Pg.74-76 ISSN 0737-5344.

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