1904 World's Fair

In 1904, the United States exhibited more than 1,100 native Filipinos, Negritos, Igorot, Moros, and Visayans at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. Dubbed the “largest and finest colonial exhibit,” the Philippine Exhibition, though a huge success with the public, proved controversial because of its racist and imperialistic features, and the stigma it inflicted on Filipinos—a disgrace that is still felt after a hundred years. Fermin’s impressive, well-researched book unearths new historical material pertaining not only to the fair but also to expositions held during American colonial rule in the Philippines.