The Order of Things
The Century of Progress World’s Fair of 1933 was Chicago’s second chance to present itself on the world stage after the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Unlike the World’s Columbian Exposition, race, ethnicity, and gender were not center stage, rather they were literally overshadowed by the fair’s emphasis on technology and innovation as the way to brighter future after the Great Depression. This is not to say that race, ethnicity and gender were not represented and negotiated within the fair grounds. The Paris Exposition of 1931 greatly influenced the Century of Progress World’s Fair urgency to craft a sense of modernity through architecture, but also colonial representation. The essence of coloniale moderne served to situate a country as an imperial power through the display of technological innovation and displays of the “other.” Thus, modernity is emphasized through the imperialistic presentations of the “other” that articulate the dichotomy of civilized versus savage.
Embedded in the Century of Progress Fair was a spatial order of race, ethnicity and gender. The inclusion of an African village concession, a Native American village and replica of a Mayan temple girded the imperialistic order of the fair. The exotic exhibits were primarily located along the midway as side shows. This cluster of exotic representations were the underbelly of the fair presenting race and ethnicity as commodities. The African and Native American ethnological villages were meant to be in conversation with each other as educational devices for the masses.[1] The result was exaggerated representations of the “other” that were starkly in contrast with the massive ArtDeco buildings erected to embody the fair’s theme of progress. Progress was captured just as much in the notion of technology of the future as images and enactments of what was understood as the past or contrast of progress.
Women held a complex relationship with the organizers of the fair. While there were no dedicated spaces to exhibit women’s contributions to “progress,” women were integral to the promotion of many of the exhibits. Sally Rand’s fan dance was arguably the highlight of the exposition drawing audiences to be transported to the streets of Paris.[2] African- American women from the Southside of Chicago led by Annie Oliver formed the National De Saible Memorial Society to promote the history of Du Sable at the 1933 fair. Clubwomen fought to intervene in the exhibitions of the 1933 for access to represent themselves and their contributions. However, it is clear that women were not included in the Century of Progress’ articulations of progress and futurity.
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