Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Program
Liberal Studies
Advisor
Matthew K. Gold
Subject Categories
Art and Materials Conservation | United States History
Keywords
American Fashion, Digital Humanities, Fashion History, Fashion Studies, New York, New York World's Fair 1939/1940
Abstract
At the beginning of the twentieth century New York City was the garment manufacturing capital of the United States of America, but it was not considered a fashion reference for the world. This study examines the role of the New York World's Fair of 1939/1940 as the first event where the New York fashion industry presented itself as a consolidated enterprise. To capture this important moment in fashion history, I examine the overlooked New York World's Fair archives from the New York Public Library and engage them with secondary research on American fashion history. With the use of digital tools like Voyant and Many Eyes, I aim to visualize the network of the fashion industry actors that joined forces to organize the fashion exhibits at the New York World's Fair of 1939/ 1940 and the changes between the two seasons. By centering my study on the Hall of Fashion and World of Fashion exhibitions at the New York World's Fair of 1939/1940, I explore a disregarded story of the consolidation of the American fashion industry.
Recommended Citation
Silva, Luisina, "New York Fashion Industry Goes To The Fair" (2014). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/282