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!
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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 [...]
His (almost) last trip over that infernal Ferris Wheel
On his way to visit the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, the editor of a small-town newspaper in Kansas met a fellow traveler from Lebanon, Indiana, (Mr. J. R. Anthony). On their second day [...]
181. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Illinois Building on Illinois Day
THE ILLINOIS BUILDING ON ILLINOIS DAY. — On the occasion of a day of celebration devoted to any particular state, a scene of interest occurred at that state's building. Naturally, the people of the [...]
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.
The Devil in the WHAT City?
We love some Jeopardy! aaaaaalmost as much as we love exploring the 1893 World’s Fair. In the Double Jeopardy round on the March 5, 2026, episode, defending one-day champion Quentin Powers found a Daily [...]
Season’s Readings 2025: New Books about the World’s Columbian Exposition
New books explore the colorful campus and souvenir coins of the Columbian Exposition and profile a host of people associated with the Fair, including architect Stanford White and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, photographer Alice Austen, [...]
Dec. 5-28, 2025: Joffrey Ballet’s “Columbian Nutcracker” (Chicago)
A festive Ferris Wheel, a Dream City, a flurry of snow, dancing dragons, dancing nuts, and dancing rats! It's that time of the year for Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet to stage their spectacular annual production [...]
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, [...]
