. He has also published articles and presented on a variety of history and archives-related topics. His article “Strike Out: A Pirates Pitcher at the Battle of Homestead” won the 2016 Arline Custer Memorial Award from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference.
Brodt’s research interests include post-Civil War Pittsburgh, urban history, and industry and labor. He is also interested in the history of the University of Pittsburgh and its off-campus impact.
Brodt holds a B.A. in History and Classics and a Master of Library and Information Science degree, all from the University of Pittsburgh. He applied the “Page 99 Test” to From the Steel City to the White City and reported the following:
Page 99 challenges the notion that turn-of-the-century Pittsburgh was only concerned with heavy industry. The page begins with the close of a section that describes Western Pennsylvania’s contributions to the Columbian Exposition that highlighted the region’s efforts in science, education, and social movements, noting that “This glimpse into the achievements of individual scientists and engineers placed a greater emphasis on the people behind the inventions, unlike the manufacturing exhibits, which focused on processes and outputs.” Advancements in astronomy, electrical engineering, and the women’s and temperance movements demonstrate that Western Pennsylvania’s achievements extended beyond mill yards. This was no more evident than in the impact of Pittsburgher George W.G. Ferris’ great wheel, which debuted at the fair.Visit Zachary Brodt's website.
The remainder of the page builds on this idea with the introduction of a new section that discusses Pittsburgh’s art exhibits at the world’s fair, remarking that “Western Pennsylvanians also contributed examples of art that spoke to a developing culture that many visitors attributed to older, grander metropolises like Philadelphia and New York City and not an industrial center like Pittsburgh.” Popular local artists like George Hetzel and Thomas Shields Clarke exhibited at the fair, but this section goes on to explain that the most notable Western Pennsylvanian artist to have works on display was Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. Her mural Modern Woman in the exposition’s Woman’s Building drew criticism from fairgoers and art critics alike due to its feminist message.
Page 99 is an appropriate sample from this book in that it confronts preconceived ideas about the nature of Pittsburgh in the 1890s, mainly that the city was solely America’s crucible. Readers encountering this page with ideas of a grimy, smoky city lit by steel furnaces will be surprised to see references to scientific discoveries and comparisons to the cultural contributions of cities like New York.
The fact that Pittsburghers identified the Columbian Exposition as an opportunity to showcase attributes other than its industries is present throughout much of the book; however, this page neglects to address other key discussions such as the experiences of Western Pennsylvanian visitors at the 1893 World’s Fair and its influence on the development of the region in the early twentieth century. Overall, the book seeks to explain how Pittsburgher’s experiences at the fair helped turn the Steel City into its own version of the Columbian Exposition’s White City through architecture and social and cultural initiatives.
--Marshal Zeringue
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