

Time-travel to 1904 without leaving your couch—ice cream cones, human zoos, and all.
Uses first-person accounts from Missourians who went to the Fair in 1904, interviews with historians, archival motion pictures, and photographs to situate the St. Louis Fair in the social, political, and cultural context of American society in 1904. Covers American civilization at the turn of the century; the representation of history; authenticity; modernity; dress and body language; oral history and childhood memories; world fairs as experiences; and receiving information through visual symbols, words, and exhibits.
Direction
Breitbart lets uncomfortable silences breathe between archival clips.
Editing
Juxtaposes childhood wonder with imperial violence—devastating.
Writing
Narrator never tells you how to feel about the 'human displays.'

Director
Eric Breitbart
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The ice cream cone, iced tea, and hot dog bun were all allegedly invented here—corporate myth-making started early.
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