The Chicago World Fair: The Devil In The White City

The great impact of the World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World Fair, was shown in The Devil in the White City. Although the main plot of the novel concerns H.H. Holmes, an infamous serial killer who completed his work during the time of the fair, the bright culture and growing importance of knowledge during the 1890s were illustrated. The Chicago World Fair showed the development of culture and infrastructure in the Untied States through unification, shifting ideas, and competition; one specific area that evolved was architecture, which was displayed through the buildings and inventions.

During the World’s Columbian Exposition, millions of Americans came to enjoy and marvel at the different offered inventions and attractions.

Because of the high percentage of Americans who attended the fair, they became culturally unified. Some buildings were “…soothing to visitors weary from the rigors of early modern America”. (Rose 1996) Americans showed similar interests, which increased the importance of the developing concepts and ideas. One concept that gained attention was women’s rights.

Influential women spoke at the fair, so people realized that women could be intelligent and useful, similar to men. Some women included “women’s rights icon Susan B. Anthony, labor rights reformer Florence Kelley, and abolitionist Julia Ward Howe”. (Novak 2013) The unification of America during this time period, which was around 1893, became increasingly important due to Panic of 1893. The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression that was triggered by failing businesses and banks. (Di Cola, Stone 8-11) The Columbian Exposition became a way for families to take their minds off of lack of money. Another large impact of the world fair was the introduction of many inventions. The fair blurred the lines between academia and entertainment by creating enjoyable and fascinating inventions. (McNamara 2004) Water came to have a more important role in technology. Wolski wrote, “In some cases, electricity was incorporated into water displays to create a stunning spectacle”. (Wolski 2009) Perspective also changed. Chicago became a more important city through the World’s Exposition. Citizens of the United States did not originally expect Chicago to get the opportunity. They expected New York City or Washington D.C. because

they were the major U.S. cities. By hosting the fair, Chicago was able to gain emphasis and opportunity in worldwide industries. The time of the fair was also the beginning of the City Beautiful Movement. In The Devil in the White City, Larson illustrates the detailed and intricate architecture that the City Beautiful Movement brought about. The City Beautiful Movement was a period of time where cities were not only made functional, but also beautiful. Much of the inspiration came from the Hellenistic period. The movement was sparked in Chicago and changed the aesthetic and function of architecture across America.
The main areas that the United States changed in were infrastructure and technology.

The fair had great expectations to rise to the same influence as the Paris Exposition. A main goal of architects and those participating in the fair was to surpass the Eiffel Tower’s prominence from the Paris Exposition. (Di Cola, Stone 8-11) Instead of trying to make every aspect of the fair great, many of the architects focused on making things that could compete with the Europeans’ inventions and architecture. For example, the director of the fair’s architecture, Daniel Burnham, “desired that Chicago would have a waterfront that would rival European cities…” (Wolski 2009) Americans have always competed with Europe. Although there were many activities, the head attraction was the Ferris wheel. Although the Ferris wheel was not an invention that improved everyday life, it brought happiness to some and entertained others. It also puzzled some, but peoples’ emotions exhibited the profound effect of the new inventions. The Ferris wheel was a product of the changing culture. The Columbian Exposition showed America that technology did not only need to be for practical uses. Skyscrapers were the “Eiffel Tower” of the Chicago Exposition. They showed the groundbreaking technology of America and the great metalworking of Chicago. As shown in The Devil in the White City, H.H. Holmes’ built a hotel that he used as his torture chamber for his victims. The hotel does not exist anymore, but its

reputation still remains. The inventions at the Columbian Exposition greatly influenced culture. They shed light on technology. Appliances and innovations became tailored to the everyday man, not the wealthy or genius. They also focused on making people happy in order to forget their troubles. The Chicago World Fair was a way for parents to bring joy to their children. Rose describes the fair as a “utopia” due to its good hygiene and advanced systems that it brought to Chicago. (Rose 1996) With the growing emphasis of architecture within Chicago came a growing emphasis on the city itself. People started to consider Chicago a major city within the United States.
By being able to kill the amount of people that he did, H.H. Holmes’ actions show the popularity of the World’s Columbian Exposition. If the millions of people did not attend the fair, H.H. Holmes could not have completed his works, and he would not have been written down in history. The Chicago World’s Fair permanently changed America for the better. Even though there were unfortunate actions, like the killings executed by H.H. Holmes, the fair brought more good than evil. Chicago became an industrial icon in the United States, and the same reputation continues today.