Midway of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition

E609469

The Midway of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was the fair’s famous entertainment and amusement district, showcasing international villages, rides like the original Ferris Wheel, and popular attractions that introduced mass commercial leisure to a wide audience.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf amusement district
exhibition midway
associatedWith George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. NERFINISHED
characterizedBy ethnographic displays framed as entertainment
loud music and performances
paid attractions
contrastedWith White City of the World’s Columbian Exposition NERFINISHED
designedBy Sol Bloom NERFINISHED
feature Dahomey Village NERFINISHED
Eskimo Village NERFINISHED
German Village NERFINISHED
Hagenbeck’s animal show NERFINISHED
Irish Village NERFINISHED
Japanese Village NERFINISHED
Panorama exhibits
Streets of Cairo exhibit NERFINISHED
Turkish Village NERFINISHED
beer gardens
belly dancing shows
cafés
concession stands
ethnographic exhibits
international villages
moving sidewalk (travelator)
original Ferris Wheel NERFINISHED
restaurants
sideshows
theaters
historicalSignificance helped establish the midway as a standard feature of fairs and expositions
marked a shift toward modern mass entertainment culture
influenced 20th-century fair midways
Coney Island amusement developments
later amusement parks
knownFor introduction of mass commercial leisure
original Ferris Wheel NERFINISHED
popularization of the amusement midway concept
locatedIn Chicago, Illinois, United States
surface form: Chicago

Illinois
United States of America
surface form: United States
openedInYear 1893
organizedBy World’s Columbian Exposition Company NERFINISHED
partOf World’s Columbian Exposition NERFINISHED
purpose amusement
commercial leisure
entertainment
theme commercial entertainment
exoticism
spectacle

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Midway Plaisance usedAs Midway of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition