The Largest Women's Expo

The History of the Women's Expo

Expo Philadelphia 1876 and Expo Chicago 1893 are the most relevant examples of a time where the inferior status of women in society was more and more questioned. In 1876, Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, great-grand daughter of Benjamin Franklin, fought to create, at the Philadelphia World Fair, a Women's Pavilion that would not only display works by women but would also be managed by them, unlike the Women's pavilion of Vienna 1873 that was designed by men. It isn't surprising that such an idea should stem from the United States. A few years earlier, the American Civil War had led many women out of their homes and into public life. Their help in the United States Sanitary Commission was particularly significant.

The 1893 Women's Pavilion was designed by a woman architect and the interior was decorated by a number of women artists. Like in 1876, the pavilion presented elements linked to the traditional roles of woman, but through these displays visitors could see the intelligence and talent of women.

The major progress made by the 1893 project was the creation of an international network of women. To prepare for the event, Mrs Palmer traveled Europe to convince important women such as heads of State's wives to take part in the pavilion. 40 countries contributed, thus giving an international scope to the fight for a better recognition of the role of women.

The first Woman's World's Fair was held in Chicago in 1925. The idea of the completely women-run fair was to display the progress of ideas, work, and products of twentieth-century women.

After that, many Expos built their own Women's pavilion like the Paris Fair of 1900 that allowed the first participation of women to the Olympic Games, Expo Paris 1937, Expo Montreal 1967 and San Antonio 1968.

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