Century of Progress, Chicago 1933-1934

Articles

• Boehm, Lisa Krisoff. "The Fair and the Fan Dancer: A Century of Progress and Chicago's Image." Chicago History 27:2(1998): 42-55.
  

  Chicago's second World's Fair was supposed to transform Chicago's image from that of a frontier, vice-ridden town to one of sophisticated metropolis supporting the finest cultural events: this was not the case.

• Havlik, Robert J. "The Chicago Century of Progress Sky-Ride 1932-1935." Image File: A Journal from the Curt Teich Postcard Archives 7: 1 (1992): 3-6.
  

  A commercial success rather than an engineering wonder, the Sky Ride's design, construction and demolition are the subject of this article.

• Kay, Gwen. "Seeing the Fair the FDA Way: the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition." Journal of Illinois History 5:3(2002):197-212.
  

  Details how the Food and Drug Administration used its exhibit space in the Government building at the Exposition to further its agenda of revising the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act in order to better protect the consumer.

• Kegl, Rosemary. "Wrapping Togas over Elizabethan Garb: Tabloid Shakespeare at the 1934 Chicago World's Fair." Renaissance Drama 28 (1999): 73-97.
  

  Examines the popularity of the 1934 Chicago World's Fair and focuses on the reconstruction of England's Globe Theater which presented forty minute productions of Shakespeare's plays.

• Ohman, Marian. "Major N. Clark Smith in Chicago." Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 96:1(2003): 49-79.
  

  Chronicles the career of N. Clark Smith, a leading African American composer and his role in "Negro Day" at the fair.

• Sherman, Jane. "Ruth St. Denis: the Lost Ballet." Dance Chronicle 20:1 (1997): 49-62.
  

  Ruth St. Denis was appointed dance director for the 1933-34 Century of Progress International Exposition. She produced a detailed plan for the ambitious project called the Ballet of the States, but it was not produced as it was declared too expensive.

• Talbot-Stanaway, Susan. "The Giant Jewel." Chicago History 22: 2 (1993): 4-23.
  

  Evaluates the architecture of Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition of the summers of 1933 and 1934, paying special attention to the color scheme assigned to fair buildings designed by Joseph Urban.

Dissertations

• McDaniel, David Paul. "A Century of Progress? Cultural Change and the Rise of Modern Chicago." Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1999.
  

  By 1933, the Midway's forces of popular culture had achieved cultural hegemony: in the rise of popular entertainment, mass-production-based consumer culture, and a rise in beliefs in the power of science.

• Schrenk, Lisa Diane. "The Role of the 1933-34 Century of Progress International Exposition in the Development and Promotion of Modern Architecture in the United States." Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, 1998.
  

  During the years that the Exposition was designed and built, architects were searching for design solutions appropriate for the rapidly changing world. The Exposition provided an opportunity for architects to explore a wide range of new ideas reflective of the times.

Monographs

• Gleisten, Samantha. Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair: A Century of Progress in Vintage Postcards. Chicago, Ill: Arcadia Pub., 2002.

• Ingerle, Rudolph.Rudolph Ingerle 1879-1950: Paintings of the Ozarks, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition. Chicago, Ill: Aaron Galleries, 2000.

• Taragin, Davira S. Alliance of Art and Industry: Toledo Designs for a Modern America. Toledo, OH.: Toledo Museum of Art, Hudson Hills Press, 2002.
  

  Concerns industrial designers who worked with companies in Toledo and includes substantial references to the Chicago Exposition of 1933 and the contributions of those designers.

• Waldvogel, Merikay and Barbara Brackman. Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World's Fair: The Sears National Quilt Contest and Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition. Nashville, Tenn.: Rutledge Hill Press, 1993.
  

  The Sears National Quilt Contest which was held at the fair was the largest exhibition of quilts ever organized. Some of the quilts that were displayed and the women who made them are discussed. A brief overview of the fair is also given and numerous full color photographs of are included.

Web Sites

• Century of Progress 1933-34 (Chicago Historical Society)
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• Chicago World's Fair: A Century of Progress Exhibition 1933-1934
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