UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date: 30-Jun-2010 I, Kirsten C Schuttey , hereby submit this original work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Arts in Art History It is entitled: Recognition at Last: The Woman's Building and the Advancement of Women at the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition Student Signature: Kirsten C Schuttey This work and its defense approved by: Committee Chair: Kimberly Paice, PhD Kimberly Paice, PhD Kristi Ann Nelson, PhD Kristi Ann Nelson, PhD Mark Harris, PhD Mark Harris, PhD 8/10/2010 890 Recognition at Last: The Woman’s Building and the Advancement of Women at the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE ART HISTORY FACULTY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN ART HISTORY by Kirsten Claudine Schuttey June 30, 2010 B.A., Lake Forest College, 2005 Committee Chair: Kimberly Paice, Ph.D. Abstract The 1893 Chicago World‟s Columbian Exposition offered America an opportunity to showcase her cultural, intellectual, and scientific progress to the world. For the citizens of Chicago especially, the exposition provided the means to demonstrate that their city was an advanced metropolis at a time when many deemed it to be second rate. To achieve this goal, many forward-thinking women throughout the United States were successful in ensuring that the exposition included a separate exhibition space for women to showcase their talents in art and industry. The 1893 Woman‟s Building was not the first to exist at a world‟s fair, but it was the first that visibly symbolized women‟s advancement. Unlike former women‟s buildings, this Woman‟s Building was built by and controlled by women. This thesis explores the specific strategies that were used to make this building a success. It also draws attention to the fact that while the Woman‟s Building was only temporary, it was the first museum dedicated to women artists and it laid the groundwork for the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington D.C., which functions as a separate, but equal museum representing women in the arts. iii iv Acknowledgments There are many people that I want to thank for helping me as I completed this thesis. First, I want to thank my family. Without their love and support this thesis could not have been possible. I especially want to thank my mom for being an outstanding proof-reader and offering me suggestions to improve the thesis. I also want to thank several friends for their support and patience. First, I want to thank my dear friend, Michelle Moskauski for her encouragement and unfailing belief in me. I also want to thank my good friend Lee Edward Slaughter, damn New Yorker! His words of encouragement, never-ending debates, and games of Uno provided balance and humor on many occasions. So thank you Lee for reminding me to not take things so seriously. I want to thank my friend and classmate, Nancy McGowan. Nancy supported me during my time at the university and while working on my thesis. She aided me with my research and with proof-reading. She always offered constructive criticism and advice on all matters. So, a big thank you Nancy. I wish to thank my roommate and friend, April Harkness and her son, Alex for their support and making sure that I took breaks away from the computer screen and surprising me with cupcakes from Sugar Bliss. In addition, I want to thank my friends Mary Cook (Miss Mary Mack), Sharon Ossowski, Kristi Harley and Liz Lens for their words of wisdom and encouragement. They share my love of Chicago and have been wonderful cheerleaders for me. All researchers have their “go to people” and mine is my friend, Gwyneth Stupar. Aside from being a wonderful friend, as a reference librarian, Gwyn assisted me with gathering v research material. When I could not or did not know how to find a particular original source, Gwyn always found it and got to me. I want to thank her for taking time out of her busy work schedule to help me with my research. Finally, I want to thank my thesis advisor, Kim Paice for helping me to complete this project. Kim offered wonderful guidance and support. Thank you again, Kim. vi Contents Table of Contents 1 List of Illustrations 2-3 Introduction 4-11 Chapter 1: Bertha Honoré Palmer and the World‟s Columbian Exposition Board of Lady Managers 12-31 Chapter 2: Women of the Woman‟s Building 32-47 Chapter 3: Model Museum 48-54 Conclusion 55-57 Bibliography 58-62 Illustrations 63-101 1 List of Illustrations Chapter 1 Illustration 1.1: Jackson Park, 1893 Illustration 1.2: Jackson Park, 2010 Illustration 1.3: The Court of Honor Illustration 1.4: Frederick MacMonnies, Columbian Fountain, 1893. Illustration 1.5: Frederick MacMonnies, Sculptor Illustration 1.6: Daniel Chester French, Republic, 1893. Illustration 1.7: Daniel Chester French, Sculptor Illustration 1.8: Frederick Olmstead, Landscape Architect Illustration 1.9: The Midway Plaisance Illustration 1.10: The Ferris Wheel Illustration 1.11: The Fine Arts Building, 1893 Illustration 1.12: The Museum of Science and Industry, 2010 Illustration 1.13: The Woman‟s Building, 1893 Illustration 1.14: Sophia Hayden, Architect Illustration 1.15: Floor Plans of the Woman‟s Building Illustration 1.16: Alice Rideout, Sculptor Illustration 1.17: Enid Yandell, Sculptor Illustration 1.18: Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, President of the 1876 Women‟s Centennial Committee Illustration 1.19: Woman‟s Pavilion at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition Illustration 1.20: Matilda Gage, President of the National Woman Suffrage Association Illustration 1.21: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Suffragist Movement Leader Illustration 1.22: Susan B. Anthony, Suffragist Movement Leader Illustration 1.23: Bertha Honoré Palmer, President of the Board of Lady Managers Illustration 1.24: Mr. Potter Palmer, Real-estate developer Illustration 1.25: Jane Addams, Social Reformer Illustration 1.26: Hull House Association Illustration 1.27: Fannie Barrier Williams 2 Chapter 2 Illustration 2.1: Sarah Hallowell, Exhibition Organizer Illustration 2.2: Halsey C. Ives, Director of the Fine Arts Building Illustration 2.3: Candace Wheeler, Interior Designer Illustration 2.4: Mary Cassatt, Painter Illustration 2.5: Mary Cassatt, Modern Woman, 1892-1893. Illustration 2.6: Mary Fairchild MacMonnies Illustration 2.7: Mary Fairchild MacMonnies, Primitive Woman, 1892-1893. Chapter 3 Illustration 3.1: Wilhelmina and Wallace Holladay, Founders of the National Museum for Women in the Arts Illustration 3.2: The National Museum of Women in the Arts Illustration 3.3: Elizabetta Sirani, Virgin and Child, 1663. Illustration 3.4: Maria Sibylla Merian, Dissertation in Insect Generation, 1719. Illustration 3.5: Maria Sibylla Merian, Metamorphosis in Surinam, 1719. 3 Introduction The 1893 Chicago World‟s Columbian Exposition drew an international crowd of 27.5 million1 to explore the large variety of exhibitions submitted by many countries from all of the six inhabited continents.2 World‟s fairs were international exhibitions at which countries from around the world could demonstrate their social advancement in art and industry. The world‟s fair to set this precedent was the London Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851. Some of the firsts introduced at the World‟s Columbian Exposition include: the Ferris Wheel, the Midway, Shredded Wheat Cereal, and Edison‟s kinetoscope. It also served as Walter Disney‟s inspiration for his Magic Kingdom. Like previous world‟s fairs, it provided a venue for cultural and intellectual pursuits, as well as, recreation and entertainment. Due to the mélange of exhibitions and visitors, world‟s fairs were melting pots as people from all over the world and all walks of life gathered to take in the wonders of mankind. Thus, world‟s fairs were egalitarian as they were created by the people and for the people. Unlike other nineteenth-century social venues such as museums, cafes, theaters, and restaurants that observed social station, world‟s fairs had few social restrictions. In regards to the World‟s Columbian Exposition everyone from the illustrious Queen Isabella of Spain to the construction workers who built it attended. World‟s fairs of the nineteenth century showcased the works of contemporary artists from around the world, and significantly aided in the recognition of those overlooked in mainstream society and only known locally. The works often included examples of various schools of art. For example, Romanticism and Impressionism were officially introduced to the world at the 1893 Chicago World‟s Columbian Exposition. In addition to schools of art, world‟s fairs 1 Stanley Applebaum, The World’s Fair of 1893 (New York: Dover Publication Inc., 1980), 106. 2 It is difficult to find the exact count of countries since not all countries exhibited in all the buildings. 4 introduced the names of contemporary artists to society at large, names that are instantly recognizable today, such as Claude Monet (1840-1926), Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Pierre- Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), etc… In regards to fine arts, world‟s fairs were primarily a spin-off of the old European salons; however, as stated by Elizabeth Gilmore Holt in her book The Art of All Nations 1850-73, art showcased at world‟s fairs was “displayed in a neutral setting, removed from the environments that, in the past, had contributed to their symbolic associations.”3 As a result, artists became recognized and judged by their own artistic merit as first demonstrated at London‟s Crystal Place Exhibition of 1851. This study focuses on the 1893 World‟s Columbian Exposition Woman‟s Building. It was not the first such building in existence, since the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876 and the New Orleans Cotton Centennial Exposition of 1884-1885 had both possessed one; however, it was the first to significantly contribute to the elevation of the status of both famous as well as less known female exhibitors nationally and internationally.4 Several factors made the Columbian Exposition Woman‟s Building particularly significant.