Behind the Glamour: Inside (and Outside) F. Scott Fitzgerald's Lake Forest
In the Gallery through October 4, 2025
One hundred years ago, on April 10, 1925, The Great Gatsby was published. F. Scott Fitzgerald's (1896-1940) most celebrated work, achieving its greatest success posthumously, examines the gilded excesses of wealth and high society, the yearning for belonging, lost love, and the pursuit of the unattainable American Dream. At its heart is Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire driven by his desire to reclaim the woman he believes he lost due to his humble origins.
The novel's narrator, Nick Carraway, mirrors Fitzgerald in many ways: a Midwesterner from a middle-class background, educated at an Ivy League institution, navigating the fringes of elite society through his connections. Fitzgerald, a Princetonian with roots in St. Paul, frequented Lake Forest, staying with a socially prominent relative and mingling with the town's wealthy families.
However, Fitzgerald's life also echoed Gatsby's. Like his protagonist, he was captivated by a young socialite, Ginevra King (1898-1980), a Lake Forester who became his lifelong muse. Believing he was rejected due to his lack of wealth, Fitzgerald, like Gatsby, possessed a strong ego, convinced his talent and charm should have sufficed. Was it indeed money that barred him from Ginevra King's affections, or were there deeper reasons?
This exhibition delves into the Roaring Twenties era Fitzgerald depicted, the Lake Forest he experienced, and the real individuals who inspired the characters in The Great Gatsby and his other stories. Beyond the surface of money and frivolity, what societal boundaries did Fitzgerald fail to comprehend? There is a richer story to uncover beyond the pages of The Great Gatsby.