In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries historical pageants were a means of enacting a vision of history in a memorable public ritual. Arthur Hercz, a Hungarian architect who stayed in Chicago after arriving to contribute to the World's Columbian Exposition, designed and directed a number of historical pageants, including one called "Humanitaet" (1914), another for war relief (1915), others commemorating the Indiana Dunes (1917) and the state of Illinois (1918), in honor of an All American Exposition at the end of World War I (1918), and in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Chicago Turngemeinde.

Creator: Chicago Turngemeinde
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37968)