June 05, 2025
Linda Blaser
WTTW-Chicago turns to Rebecca Graff for historical context on 1893 World’s Fair
A WTTW-Chicago film crew interviewed Associate Professor of Anthropology Rebecca Graff on campus for her insight on the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition for an upcoming Chicago Stories program.
The two-hour interview took place in the loft overlooking Calvin Durand Lounge on Monday, June 3. Portions of Graff’s interview will air as part of the Chicago PBS station’s Chicago Stories series. No date has been announced for the airing.
“I have used Chicago Stories documentaries in many of my courses here at Lake Forest College, so it’s a special thrill to be able to discuss my research with WTTW in service of this great series,” Graff said.
An historical archaeologist, Graff is the author of Disposing of Modernity: The Archaeology of Garbage and Consumerism During Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair (2020) was based on an archaeological and archival project focusing on the ephemeral “White City” and Midway Plaisance of the 1893 Chicago Fair and the modern disposal practices seen at the Louis Sullivan-designed Charnley-Persky House.
In the interview, Graff discussed the Columbian Exposition as both a celebration of American progress and a carefully curated display of exclusion. She explored how the fair promoted modern ideals while reinforcing divisions around race, labor, and class. From the spectacle of the “White City” to the rise of consumer culture, Graff connected the fair’s physical and cultural legacy to how we think about modern life today. She also highlighted how the fair’s remnants—buried beneath Jackson Park—continue to shape public memory, especially as the site of the future Obama Presidential Center.