Stroll the White City

Pictures from the Chicago Columbian Exposition.

excellent

I really enjoyed this

Disney world, with class. :D

Wow.

But I always question how much people can enjoy things when packed in like sardines. I used to think it was an olden days thing :) But then I went to Alton Towers (theme park) on a Bank Holiday Monday in summer - never again! Festivals are the same - huge crowds of people moving in the same direction, looking at the same thing. I live for Off Season. Helps that I like the cold.

Thanks for the link - loved it.

Ever read The Devil in The White City by Eric Larson?

Not only does it describe this fair down to the detail, it tells the true story of a serial killer in the Chicago area during this time. Good read.

I'll look out for it. This was my first notion of the White City in Chicago (we have a Tube station called White City in West London!) but it's fascinating.

And people protest at the money spent to bring a giant spider to Liverpool... Say what you like about the Victorians, they did things on a grand scale.

Brianna;488586 wrote:

Ever read The Devil in The White City by Eric Larson?

Not only does it describe this fair down to the detail, it tells the true story of a serial killer in the Chicago area during this time. Good read.

No, but I read a lot about the FEMA devil in Chocolate City. ;)

TF and I were watching an old PBS documentary about Nikola Tesla last night, and the Exposition was prominently featured since it was his AC power system that was used to light it. It pissed off Edison so bad, that the company he recently formed with other rich guys, General Electric, refused to sell their sealed light bulbs for use there, so Westinghouse (who was Tesla's biggest ally and financier) invented their own two piece bulb to use, thus avoiding patent violations.

Brianna;488586 wrote:

Ever read The Devil in The White City by Eric Larson?

Not only does it describe this fair down to the detail, it tells the true story of a serial killer in the Chicago area during this time. Good read.

Yes, and it was a FANTASTIC read. Anyone who enjoys a solid factual non-fiction read all about the fair and the side bar story of a serial killer who also came to town for the fair, but for different reasons.

http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/devilinthewhitecity/home.html

Anyone else notice the lady with the shiner, front left, picture 12?

Obviously didn't do as she was told the first time. :eek:

spudcon;488954 wrote:

Anyone else notice the lady with the shiner, front left, picture 12?

I thought she might have been wearing sunglasses.

Yellow/Amber and brown-tinted spectacles were also a commonly-prescribed item for people with syphilis in the 19th and early 20th centuries because of the sensitivity to light that was one of the symptoms of the disease.

Modern developments

In the early 1900s, the use of sunglasses started to become more widespread, especially among the pioneering stars of silent movies.

I keep thinking of Minas Tirith in Gondor.

Elspode;489210 wrote:

Obviously didn't do as she was told the first time. :eek:

richlevy;489218 wrote:

I thought she might have been wearing sunglasses.

Yellow/Amber and brown-tinted spectacles were also a commonly-prescribed item for people with syphilis in the 19th and early 20th centuries because of the sensitivity to light that was one of the symptoms of the disease.

So she's either a victim or a slapper. Ah well, at least optionsfor women have improved since then :)

Cloud;489238 wrote:

I keep thinking of Minas Tirith in Gondor.

YES! Thank you for that, I can see it now.

Very interesting. Thanks :)