Women In The Gilded Age

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The World’s Fair held in Chicago in 1893 was to have been a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering the New World. It is important to note climate of the culture and people of the time. The Civil War had ended in 1865 and Chicago had suffered a huge fire in 1871. The Era of Reconstruction had moved to the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age saw substantial industrial growth, an influx of immigrants and the beginning of class conflict within America. World Fairs and Exhibitions were a way to connect the people of the country and world together and this was the intention of the Chicago Fair of 1893. However, many controversies arose during the planning of the fair. Woman wanted to be represented and depicted as a central role in …show more content…
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of a clubwoman is “a woman belonging to a club or active in club and other social or community affairs” (Merriam-Webster) usually a woman of prominence and stature in society. The exposition offered “a lens through which to view the cultural assumptions of the nation” (DuBois and Dumenil, p.440) especially as seen from the vantage point of these women. A Woman’s Building was conceived and financed by various wealthy women who in turn decided to make it a “showcase for women’s accomplishments in the various industries, arts and professions.” (DuBois and Dumenil, p.440) The Woman’s Building celebrated white women and their accomplishments portraying them as talented in art, music and education as evidenced by the art of Lydia Emmet, titled “Art, Science and Literature,” (DuBois and Dumenil, Fig. 7.5, p.441) which depicted women as being refined and engaged in the arts and …show more content…
The fairgrounds had been nicknamed the “White City” (DuBois and Dumenil, p. 441) because of the multiple white buildings erected for the event, it also had the underlying tone of racism, especially since “African Americans were not welcomed to participate in its celebration of national progress and leadership.” (DuBois and Dumenil, p. 442) Only one African American woman was represented at the exposition as a symbol of the nation’s progress in women’s rights. That person was J. Imogen Houston, an African American teacher. The other African American’s depicted as the exposition was that of Nancy Green who dressed up as Aunt Jemima and “represented the stereotypical black mammy figure, a plump black servant woman who was eager to please.” (DuBois and Dumenil, p.445) Also, there were cartoons published in Harper’s Weekly, of an African American family depicting their ventures at the exposition. One such image depicted was The Johnson Family Visit the Dahoman Village. (DuBois and Dumenil, Fig. 7.8, p. 446) The cartoons were captioned with stereotypical phrases and language of an uneducated African American person thereby showing the divide of the
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