Empire on Display: San Francisco's Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915

This book is filled with depictions of the architecture, sculpture, and painting of the SF Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915. There are several illuminated quotes of the Fair's directors and planners which, when compared to the Fair's aesthetics, posit a staunch ideological platform of re-imagined American nationalism in respect to a global empire. However, there is almost no coverage of how Asian people were imagined. Moore's book is written to heavily emphasize how Americans imagined themselves (more than how they imagined others) at the Fair. The book also discuses the general historiography of American Fair's remarkably well. A good read for graduate students and People enthusiastic about cultural expressions shaping in Fairs.

It was a time in our history when the "men" of the USA could do and accomplish whatever they wanted. The reading is a little heavy, but well worth the effort and it is lightened considerably by the illustrations and art. The early 20th century is normally thought of (at least for me) as the time before WWI, but extraordinary things were done leading up to the 1915 exhibition.

Not enough pictures, this item fell short!