The 1893 World’s Fair
Welcome Columbian Exposition enthusiasts!
This educational, non-profit website is dedicated to the history and legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago. We aim to explore details of its buildings and lesser known corners of the fairgrounds, to rediscover the countless attractions ranging from the astounding to the mundane, and to document stories about the people who built and experienced the fair.
The Columbian Exposition remains alive today through research and reprints; learning about news and events; exploring sites and exhibits; cataloging World’s Fair fiction, drama, art, and other media; and collecting antiques and products. Enjoy our “nerds-eye” view of the Fair!
Connect
Follow Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair on WordPress.com
Follow us on Facebook
Read us on Substack
Listen to us on YouTube
Receive our Newsletter
183. Picturesque World’s Fair – Main Structure and Dome of the Horticulture Building
MAIN STRUCTURE AND DOME OF THE HORTICULTURE BUILDING.—The admirable features of the Horticulture Building's architecture to be considered were lost to the eye of many for the double reason that its chief attractions were [...]
A nightly scene of fairy-like loveliness: Illumination of the 1893 White City
Many of the most effusive and eloquent descriptions of the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition focus on the nightly illumination. This electrical spectacle, augmented with flame torches and fireworks, dazzled visitors in [...]
182. Picturesque World’s Fair – A Frontier Ox-Cart
A FRONTIER OX-CART.—As a sort of annex to the North Dakota Building, there stood outside, upon the greensward, what was called a Red River Ox-Cart. It stood there as representing the only means of [...]
Maps
Explore maps of the fairgounds and a map of existing sites associated with the 1893 World’s Fair, visit Columbian Exhibition exhibits, or discover vestiges of the fair.
Refurbishing the “Statue of the Republic”
The replica Statue of the Republic that stands in Jackson Park to commemorate the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition is getting a new coat. Writing in the Chicago Sun-Times on March 31, 2026, architectural critic Lee [...]
Apr. 11, 2026 – Feb. 26, 2028: “A Marvel in Motion” tells history of the Ferris Wheel (St. Louis)
The Ferris Wheel had its opening chapter at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and closing chapter at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. The Missouri History Museum is honoring its enduring legacy [...]
Stephen Colbert presses the 1893 World’s Fair
While the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition is not common fodder for pundits and comedians on late-night TV shows, all that changed on the evening of March 11, 2026, when the host of The Late [...]
Pennies Crushed as Souvenirs of the 1893 World’s Fair
Long before the United States Mint killed the penny on November 12, 2025, the diminutive copper coin was pressed, squashed, and otherwise elongated. Long before. Numismatists hold that the first elongated coins appeared in [...]
200 Columbian Half Dollar Souvenir Coins
An Iowa man visited the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and purchased quite a souvenir collection: 200 Columbian Half Dollar coins, two Isabella Quarters, and several souvenir medals. The hoard of Columbian Exposition collectibles [...]
German Punch Bowl from the 1893 World’s Fair Joins Art Institute of Chicago Collection
A monumental porcelain punch bowl made for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago has returned to this city. On July 11, 2025, the Art Institute of Chicago reopened the Eloise W. Martin Galleries, [...]
