Imagine a place where you can encounter wonderful yet
mysterious new objects. Imagine a place where you can view beautiful Japanese art work,
then turn the corner and come face to face with an Egyptian God or Goddess. Imagine a
place where you can watch one single machine give power to an entire building and all that
is displayed within the building and the surrounding area. If you lived in the year 1876,
you would not have to imagine such a place because this place actually existed. The place
was Fairmount Park, the location of the Centennial Exhibition of 1876. The
Centennial Exhibition was an extraordinary fair that brought many of the countries of the
world together with America in hopes of displaying the unique elements and artifacts that
made up each country. It was a world's fair that combined the opportunities of education
as well as commercial venture for all who participated and attended.
The Centennial Exhibition of 1876 was not just a commercial venture on the part
of the participants, although that was a good part of it. The exhibition consisted of many
underlying factors that surfaced through various displays. In examining the exhibits of
the Exhibition, three key themes come to mind: Celebration, Conflict, and Personal
Expression. These three themes embodied the spirit behind the various exhibits at the
fair, providing a different message to every person who viewed a particular exhibit.
Through examining the various exhibits at the Centennial, it is safe to say that the
Centennial Exhibition in all of its splendor and glory came to mean very different things
to the very different people that attended the Exhibition.
America was the
country in which this Exhibition was held. To Americans, the exhibition was an event of
national celebration, especially because the year that it was held in was exactly one
century after American independence was declared. The
Exhibition displayed various artifacts that represented the objects and ideas that
resulted due to American Independence. Nearby, in Philadelphia, the memory of
American independent was promoted by the display of such artifacts as the Liberty Bell and
the Declaration of Independence, as well as Independence Hall. Through the display of
these artifacts Americans linked objects that had once been of vital importance in
achieving American Independence and now were portrayed as icons of American civilization
as well as means to promote celebration for Americans everywhere.
To other countries,
the Centennial Exhibition offered not only an opportunity to celebrate who they have
become, but also an opportunity to educate individuals on who they are. Robert C. Frost,
author of A Centennial Exhibition wrote, "Countries little known to Americans
took the opportunity to introduce their culture as well as their products to the United
States."(1) The interesting factor surrounding many of
the different countries attendance at the Exhibition was the fact that they wanted to
present themselves as a growing part of the "modern world." Americans had for a
long time believed that they were the epitome of the word "modern." This
can be seen in the context the Corliss Engine, one of the main
exhibits at the Centennial. Many of the participating countries wanted to compete
with this image. Countries such as Japan and Egypt
wanted to prove to the people who attended the fair that they too were also becoming a
large part of the " modern world."
Take the Egyptian exhibit for example. The people of Egypt wanted to represent
the fact that Egypt could compete economically with the rest of the world, so they set up
a display representing their advancing cotton industry, portraying the fact that they
could be compete with America in price as well as quality. At the same time the Egyptians
did not want to turn away from the ancient beliefs and customs that the country was built
upon. This was seen through their display of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. This pull
between the modern and the ancient world of Egyptian society exemplifies a conflict of
desires that was portrayed through the Egyptian exhibit. This conflict of desires was not
unique to Egypt. Through the exhibits of many of the countries who attended the fair, this
same element can be seen through analyzing the artifacts at the particular exhibits. This
element of conflict combined with the factor of celebration created a very unique spirit
behind the Centennial Exhibition of 1876.
The last underlying
factor found through the examination of the exhibits was that of personal expression. It
is obvious that every exhibit was an attempt for each particular country to express itself
to the people of America and the rest of the world. It is interesting to see how
each particular artifact at the exhibit achieved this goal in one way or another. Take the
African American exhibit. The African American exhibit was very
small. In fact, there were basically only two main type of artifacts that represented the
African American people, a statue and paintings. Although the African American
representation was limited to these few artifacts, these people were able to express who
they were and who they had become to all who viewed their exhibit. African Americans were
not the only group of individuals who were able to combine the factors of celebration and
personal expression through the representation of their artifacts at the fair. Other
groups such women and Native Americans also
took the opportunity to celebrate who they had become through personal expression of their
artifacts, creating a wonderful spirit to the Centennial Exhibition.