The Midway Plaisance:
Carnival and Culture

A Digital Slide Presentation and Lecture

Although not officially part of the Columbian Exposition of 1893, the world that sprung up along the Midway Plaisance had almost as great an impact upon the American psyche. This eclectic hodgepodge of ethnographic displays, food and liquor concessions, rides, exhibits and theatrical productions of varying degrees of propriety shaped America’s taste in popular entertainment well into the next century, and for better and worse influenced the young nation’s attitude toward other countries and cultures.

This follow up to Michael’s Columbian Exposition presentation features a virtual tour of the Midway interspersed with the fascinating, poignant and often hilarious stories of the polyglot mélange of humankind which inhabited a mile of boulevard in 1893.

Time: 60-70 minutes for the presentation, 20-30 minutes for breathlessly excited questions.

Price: $150

You also must provide a digital slide (PowerPoint) projector.

Last updated 3 July 2008