A World on Display 1904: Photographs from the St. Louis World's Fair (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Photography was an essential tool for scientists in many fields at the turn of the century. The 1904 world's fair offered anthropologists an unprecedented chance to see and record the world's "primitive peoples"--a final opportunity, many felt, for it was then widely believed that these "vanishing races" would die out or be assimilated into the dominant societies around them. The images here are largely the work of seven photographers--notably Jessie Tarbox Beals, the first woman photojournalist, and Frances Benjamin Johnston. Eric Breitbart discusses how and why the images were taken, and examines the photographers' widespread disregard for accuracy (few subjects were correctly identified by tribe, let alone name) and authenticity.

Product Description

Photography was an essential tool for scientists in many fields at the turn of the century. The 1904 world's fair offered anthropologists an unprecedented chance to see and record the world's 'primitive peoples' -- a final opportunity, many felt, for it was then widely believed that these 'vanishing races' would die out or be assimilated into the dominant societies around them. The images here are largely the work of seven photographers -- notably Jessie Tarbox Beals, the first woman photojournalist, and Frances Benjamin Johnston. Eric Breitbart discusses how and why the images were taken, and examines the photographers' widespread disregard for accuracy (few subjects were correctly identified by tribe, let alone name) and authenticity.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 108 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press; 1st edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826317421
• ISBN-13: 978-0826317421
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,109,719 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Book, December 12, 2001

By A Customer

If you are a fan of the St.Louis World's Fair from 1904, or just a History buff, you will enjoy this book. It offers many photographs of the fair that I had not seen before. The photographs are beautiful as is their subject matter.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars pictures of Indian tribes, not the world's fair, December 28, 2007

By	Dena (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This book was a complete disappointment. I bought it for a gift to my husband who loves to see pictures from the 1904 World's Fair. The title of this book is completely misleading. It should have been titled "Pictures of Indian Tribes around at the time of the 1904 World's fair."