State Fair: Culture and agriculture in Iowa, 1854-1941

The study identifies a distinctive middle western nineteenth and early twentieth century cultural institution, the Iowa State Fair. The researcher's main narrative is to show the fair's transformation from a scientific exhibition to a mass-entertainment carnival and to demonstrate how the fair created an image of Iowa's happy, prosperous farm life, primarily through its art and exhibits. The fair became a showcase for agricultural Extension and 4-H clubs. A study of Phil Stong's 1932 novel, State Fair and the film by the same title, depicted--according to the researcher--a place that still existed to a nation craving reassurance during the Great Depression.