My Fair Lady: Exotic Women on the Midway Plaisance and the Challenges to White Womanhood at the Chicago World's Fair
Conference Year
January 2019
Abstract
Abstract:
Among the countless attractions of the Chicago World’s Fair, two of the most prominent were the Women’s Building, erected and organized by the Board of Lady Managers, and the adjacent Midway Plaisance with its ethnological exhibits and, in particular, its sensationalized performances of certain “exotic” women. The Women’s Building, situated at the edge of the fair’s shimmering White City, promoted an image of femininity coupled with Victorian conceptions of civilization and progress, while largely excluded members of non-white races. This paper explores the ways in which the presence of racially and ethnically diverse women on the Midway Plaisance challenged the ideals of womanhood promulgated by the Board of Lady Managers at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Nicole Phelps
Status
Graduate
Student College
Graduate College
Program/Major
History
Primary Research Category
Arts & Humanities
My Fair Lady: Exotic Women on the Midway Plaisance and the Challenges to White Womanhood at the Chicago World's Fair
Abstract:
Among the countless attractions of the Chicago World’s Fair, two of the most prominent were the Women’s Building, erected and organized by the Board of Lady Managers, and the adjacent Midway Plaisance with its ethnological exhibits and, in particular, its sensationalized performances of certain “exotic” women. The Women’s Building, situated at the edge of the fair’s shimmering White City, promoted an image of femininity coupled with Victorian conceptions of civilization and progress, while largely excluded members of non-white races. This paper explores the ways in which the presence of racially and ethnically diverse women on the Midway Plaisance challenged the ideals of womanhood promulgated by the Board of Lady Managers at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.