World's Fairs

Until this class, all I knew about world's fairs was found in this song:



So it is only logical that when discussing the Huhndorf reading and the Chicago World's Fair in class, I couldn't help but think of the classic musical starring Judy Garland, "Meet Me In St. Louis". The movie is set in the year leading up to the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904 and its final scenes are of the characters enjoying the transformation their city has undergone for the fair. After some quick research, I learned that the St. Louis World's Fair was celebrating the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase, a great accomplishment for a nation that was continuing to expand its borders and extend its dominance. This dominance was clearly seen in the human zoos on display at the Fair; as described in the Huhndorf reading, these exhibits allowed fair-goers to have a glimpse of other cultures and other people. In the case of the St. Louis World's Fair, "the main draw was the Philippine exhibit complete with full size replicas of Indigenous living quarters erected to exhibit the inherent backwardness of the Philippine people. The purpose was to highlight both the "civilising" influence of American rule and the economic potential of the island chains' natural resources on the heels of the Philippine-America War. It was, reportedly, the largest specific Aboriginal exhibit displayed at the exposition."

While "Meet Me In St. Louis" isn't entirely about the St. Louis World's Fair, the end of the film suggests the positive nature of the Fair. There is no mention of any of the different exhibits to be seen, definitely nothing about the human zoo. Has anybody seen any other portrayls of world's fair in the media? Are they all so happy-go-lucky? Why did these fairs end? Were they, at one point, too politically incorrect? Would it be possible to have a world's fair today?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase_Exposition#Human_zoos