Cultural change and shifting views of America
Shannon Johnson
ARTS/125 Pop Culture and the Arts
01/25/2016
UOP
Cultural change and shifting views of America
The Chicago World Fair in 1893 was set up to recognize Christopher Columbus’s discovery of The New World and Chicago’s recovery from the Great Fire in 1871. The fair was meant to be a financial gain as to help with the depression and to outdo Parris’s Universal Expo of 1889.
The White City showed unity and tribute to American culture. The fair was built to be a replica of Chicago. The focal point of the festival was The Court of Honor. All the other buildings grouped around The Court. These included the monumental Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building, (American brands and products were represented.) Anthropological Building, (visitors were educated on anthropological and ethnological findings.) Electricity Building, (Showing the power of electricity) all of this was set together to create a Venetian style. The idea of recreating this city was to express a new American city. The Ferris wheel was designed to give the expo the feeling of Venetian and to give the fairgoers specific kind of fair. This town was a fairytale city made to show a new way of life ahead, social changes and values. The urban feel of it all came together to show the Nations cultural progress.
The Chicago fair was showing the nation's cultural development was linked to The Gilded Age. (America’s economic leadership) Most of the buildings and sculptures followed a European style. The fair and America were showing that we followed Athens, Rome and The Italian Renaissance. The fairgoers herd of American unity and cultural supremacy. When walking around the Great Basin, the fairgoers saw Viking ships and marble statues. The most American symbol to be seen was The Republic 1893. The fairs own statue of liberty. She was wearing a toga, laurel wreath and holding a staff. The buildings showed modern themes of man’s triumphs and...