Dolls at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair By Florence Theriault
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t was a new century. The 1900s! And America, building upon its grand growth in the previous century, determined to prove itself to the world. What better way to do this than an International Exposition? True, there had been the splendid Chicago Exposition of 1893 whose extraordinary wheel of George Washington Ferris had challenged the magnificence of the Gustave Eiffel’s tower at the 1889 Paris Exposition. Even earlier had been the celebrated 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. But now it was 1904 and what better challenge could there be than one American city challenging another. The 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition – more known as the St. Louis World’s Fair – proved to be that worthy challenger. Although little remembered today**, the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair was immense, spanning 75 miles of roads and walkways over 1200 acres. There were 1500 buildings created for the Fair including the Palace of Fine Art (which today houses the St. Louis Arts Museum) and exhibitions were presented by 62 foreign nations and 43 states. Among these Alphonse Mucha’s Art Nouveau poster extolled the size of the 1904 comparing it to others, more than four times the exhibitors were doll and toy manufacturers size of 1900 Paris International Exposition. from Germany, France, Japan and, of course, the United States. These exhibits provide an accurate synopsis of the international doll scene at The famed French doll historian, Henri-Rene that time. D’Allemagne, in his book Les Jouets a la World’s Fair in 1904 en Saint-Louis, explained this by The French doll industry, for example, which criticizing U.S. custom duties that were charged had been dominant in international expositions on importations. He noted “there was no practical throughout the 1800s, was vastly subdued. advantage in meddling in a matter which constituted a waste of time and money for them … and that ultimately, customs duties were such that exhibitors ** The Fair is most remembered today from the 1944 Judy Garland classic film “Meet Me in St. Louis”.
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