World’s Congress Auxiliary Congress of Authors Collection

The World’s Congress Auxiliary (WCX) of the World’s Columbian Exposition consisted of a series of meetings on almost every scholarly and cultural topic affecting the rapidly changing society of the late 19th century. In contrast to the material excesses of the Exposition, the congresses were organized as a tribute to the intellectual principles of the Fair, i.e., to promote understanding, intelligence and industry in the rapidly changing 20th century.

The Congress of Authors, a division within the Auxiliary’s Department of Literature, was held July 10-17, 1893 in the newly constructed Art Institute of Chicago at S. Michigan Avenue and E. Adams Street. The general object of the congress, as suggested by its organizers, was “to maintain the worth and dignity of Letters, and common interests and welfare of the literary calling.” The congress’s program considered the subjects of literary copyright, the rights and interest of authors, criticism and literature, literature for children, and aspects of modern fiction. A total of thirty-four papers, and six children’s compositions were presented. Over 200 world renowned authors were invited to participate, among them: Henry James, Harriet Monroe, Hezekiah Butterworth, Mary Mapes Dodge, Henry Blake Fuller, Henry Cabot Lodge, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.