An Arkansas exhibition in Chicago
Afew weeks ago I wrote about Arkansas’ participation in the 1876 U.S. centennial celebration in Philadelphia, the first national exhibition in which Arkansas participated, replete with an appealing and unusual exhibit building. The success of the centennial fair spawned a number of regional fairs in which Arkansas exhibited, but did not have a building.
Arkansas had a building at the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893 that was designed by a woman. It is not an exaggeration to say that the women of Arkansas stepped in and saved the floundering effort when the Legislature refused funding until the fair was practically underway.
The business and political leaders of Chicago were intent on using the Columbian Exhibition as a showcase to demonstrate that their city was no longer a backwater metropolis, but was ready to claim its place as a great American city.
As was the case with the Centennial in Philadelphia, planning for such a huge event did not get started as early as needed. While the Chicago fair was originally planned to open in 1892— the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage—it did not admit visitors until June 1893. Even with this extra time, the Arkansas building was barely finished by the opening, but not the exhibits.
In May 1890, Gov. James P. Eagle named two Arkansans to represent the state as fair commissioners, John D. Adams of Little Rock and Lafayette Gregg of Fayetteville. Adams was a prominent businessman, Democrat, and veteran of the Confederate army. Gregg was a well-known Republican, a lawyer of note, and a veteran of an Arkansas Union cavalry regiment.
Two Arkansas women appointed to the Fair’s Board of Lady Managers were also different politically, the Democrat being Mary Kavanaugh Oldham Eagle, Governor Eagle’s energetic and shrewd wife. The Republican was Emma Amelia Edgerton, a suffragette and the wife of prominent Little Rock businessman and Union army veteran Rollin A. Edgerton, a native of Vermont. Mrs. Edgerton does not seem to have been active beyond her appointment.
Mrs. Eagle was active enough for both lady managers. In addition to her untiring efforts in Arkansas, she played a crucial role in organizing the first World Congress of Representative Women which was held in the women’s building during the fair, as noted by historian Bernadette Cahill.
Given the limited time frame, in early January 1891 fair supporters held a statewide meeting in Fort Smith, sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce, to hear speeches and make plans. One speaker proclaimed that we could not expect non-Arkansans to know anything about the state when “some people residing in Arkansas … know little or nothing of the State …, or if they do, they successfully hide their knowledge.” The group asked for a “just and liberal” appropriation for the fair.
As soon as the 1891 Legislature convened, Governor Eagle asked for funding for the Arkansas exhibit. The Legislature refused the request, possibly due to the presence of a number of populist agrarian insurgent legislators. Using contorted reasoning and no small amount of racist grandstanding, several legislators tied their opposition to funding the fair to proposed legislation in Congress to designate lynching as a federal crime.
Out of necessity, Arkansas leaders began raising private funds. Governor Eagle, possibly at the insistence of his wife, urged women to attend a convention in Little Rock in August to plan “proper representation of the State’s resources at the World’s Fair.”
An Arkansas World’s Fair Association was created in December 1891, and a capital stock corporation was established, each share costing $2. Still, fundraising proceeded slowly.
Women across the nation supported the event, especially since this was the first national fair in which they were allowed to participate in a meaningful way, including having their own exhibit hall and hosting a national Congress of Women. Under the leadership of Mrs. Eagle, upper-class women in several Arkansas cities established Woman’s Columbian clubs, with the Little Rock and Helena branches being especially active in collecting funds.
Jean Loughborough Douglass of Little Rock designed the Arkansas Building, one of two major fair structures designed by women. The building’s French rococo style was an acknowledgement of Arkansas’ long history as a part of French colonial Louisiana. It measured 60 by 80 feet, with two stories.
By March 1892, some $15,000 in private donations and pledges had been raised; the goal was $50,000. Commissioner John D. Adams used a meeting of Pine Bluff fair supporters to update the public and begin a renewed effort to lobby the next Legislature for an appropriation.
The 1893 Legislature debated an appropriation of $30,000 for the fair, but opposition was strong, and ultimately only $15,000 was appropriated. It came at a crucial point. With the opening of the fair looming, the contractor who built the Arkansas building was still owed $3,700, and he would not release it.
This helps explain why the exhibits were not completed by opening day. Finally, on June 15, 1893, the Arkansas fair managers transferred the Arkansas building to the state.
A total of $8,000 was spent in acquiring seven rail cars of exhibit items, and another $3,000 for shipping them to Chicago. With the help of the Arkansas Horticultural Society, large exhibits of fruit were mounted, including “many specimens of apples, pears, peaches, plums, and small fruits, [and] all of excellent quality.” Receiving extra praise were the apples “… whose flavor and staying qualities are strongly commended.”
Other exhibits included a large relief map of the state, a display of minerals including sizable quartz crystals and an extensive array of forest products produced in Arkansas. The forestry display spilled over onto the grounds of the Arkansas building, with sections of huge logs stacked near the entrance.
Works by Arkansas artists and craftsmen were recognized throughout the building, including paintings, sculptures, and fine woodwork. Black Little Rock dentist J.H. Smith, father of composer Florence Price, exhibited his paintings. A variety of promotional publications on Arkansas were distributed to visitors. Among the numerous state songs written for the occasion was “My Happy Little Home in Arkansas,” which remained popular for several years.
Some 27 million people visited the World’s Columbian Exposition during its six-month run. Technological wonders were everywhere, ranging from a movable sidewalk to a contraption known as the Ferris wheel. Visitors found many new products at the fair, a few being Juicy Fruit chewing gum, Quaker Oats, and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer.