Patterns of Progress: Women Inventors at the 1893 Columbia’s World Fair

Abstract

Out of the Shadows of the 1893 Columbian Chicago World’s Fair: Patterns of Progress of Women Inventors vision
Multiple types of documentation recorded the details of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The 19th century style of documentation and organization of information provided an abundance of data that sometimes worked independently from each other and hinders contemporary researchers from identifying patterns and important relationships between technology and progress. This is especially true when analyzing large amounts of fragmented and disjointed data on women inventors who exhibited at the Fair.
By using the Official Directory of the World’s Columbian Exposition, two main databases have been created that documents and presents information about women inventors at the Fair, which provides both organization and structure that is searchable. These two databases, one created based on the Fair’s departmental categories and the other based by state location, offer insight into different patterns related to the accomplishment of women inventors and their place in the celebration of progress at the Fair. These databases also have future potential to serve as a template for researchers who might be interested in other areas of the Fair that use similar organizational structures based on categories and/or place.
Thesedatabasesrevealed that women inventors did contribute significant new technology as part of the Fair’s celebration of progress. Out of the data looming in the shadows, stories of contemporary merit about women and progress emerged.
What is the larger intellectual question your paper will address? What is the thesis of your paper?
Presenting the information provided in the official guide of Chicago World’s Fair 1893 about the ‘Women Building’ in a concise manner. Providing the data in an organizational structure will allow future researchers to see new patterns that could not be seen before. This structure could be used to document other building in the Fair. In addition to that, it will create a new model or frame that could be adopted in other Fairs.

How does your paper advance the study of popular culture?
The Chicago World’s Fair 1893 had a profound impact, not only on Chicago but on the nation. Our Database provides organization and structure for this data. Using it, researchers can view diverse information from different perspectives.This database will work as a lens which will amplify interests and research about World’s Fairs. Such research will provide us with a better understanding of the culture of progress and innovation, which were the focal theme of the Chicago World’s Fair 1893.
The Structure of the Database could be used for other Fairs. While in our Database we focus on American women inventors at the Chicago World’s Fair, future researchers could use it with a different concentration. They can also add to it, new patterns and relationships might emerge from this new data.