The Tears of the Desert: Love and Crime at the 1876 International Centennial Exhibition

On March 3, 1871, Congress established the United States Centennial Commission, charged with “an International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine.” Philadelphia was chosen as the site of the Centennial Exhibition. On June 5, 1874, President Grant extended invitations to the governments of the world to participate in the Exhibition. All thirty-nine nations accepted. This was a six-month international event, running from May 1876 to November 1876. The Centennial Exhibition attracted over ten million visitors.

It was a showcase of American ingenuity and inventions. Typewriters, telephones, and steam pistons as well as art were displayed. The invited countries displayed their own national products and art. The Turkey delegation brought its crown jewels.

While City Council argued about final funding for City Hall, the population and visitors celebrated. American women could not vote. Discrimination and persecution against African Americans was prevalent. Regardless, people met, fell in love, and committed crimes.