Snakes & Slides: The Exposition's Vanity Fair

Snakes and Slides: The Exposition's Vanity Fair. . In contrast to the air of high culture found elsewhere at the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, the carnival midway, called Vanity Fair, offered a dizzying array of imported thrills and exotic adventure. , Among the rides at Vanity Fair, the Giant Seesaw was perhaps the most popular. Lifting squeamish riders two hundred feet into the air, the ride offered a bird's-eye view of the Exposition grounds. At the time, the tallest building on the Nashville skyline – the state capitol building – would not have afforded such spectacular views. One popular legend tells of an unnerved group of riders who, when the seesaw's operating mechanism failed, spent a long night suspended in mid-air. , While common in waterparks today, Shooting the Chute offered a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most 1897 fairgoers – a bracing boat ride down a long, steep slide into a huge pool of water, undoubtedly soaking many layers of heavy Victorian clothing in the process. , Each evening, as the exhibit halls closed elsewhere on the fairgrounds, Vanity Fair is where visitors went for a walk on the wild side. For a small fee, one could ride a camel on the Streets of Cairo or hire an Egyptian barber for a shave that began the head and ended at the fret. A snake charmer mystified its beholders. Equally mystifying was the juxtaposition of the exotic and the strange within a few feet of one another were the Chinese Village, the Nebraska sod house, Spain's Palace of Illusions, a Dutch windmill, and dozens of other wonders inhabited by a trainful of colorful carnies. , One of few areas at the Exposition that sold beer, Vanity Fair attracted a crowd of visitors that was perhaps rowdier than most. The Exposition's own police force – the Centennial Guard – rounded up about one hundred rascals a month. The most serious incident occurred when soldiers from the nearby Army camp brawled with Guardsmen during a dance revue by girls in “abbreviated dress” from the Cuban Village. , [Captions (clockwise from top left)] , . Center: Before the advent of skyscrapers, the Giant Seesaw offered a rare bird's-eye view. Note the state capitol building in the distance. (Souvenir Album, Tennessee Centennial Exposition; Tennessee State Library and Archives; Souvenir Album, Tennessee Centennial Exposition) , . (Souvenir Album, Tennessee Centennial Exposition) , . Shooting the Chute offered a fast, wet, breath-taking ride. (Tennessee State Library and Archives) , . (Tennessee State Library and Archives) , . (Official History of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition)