Happy Ferris Wheel Day! On June 21, 1893, the Ferris Wheel on the Midway Plaisance at the 1893 World’s Fair took its first visitors for a ride in the sky. While the original wheel is long gone, its iconic image graces collectibles too numerous to count.

A glass paperweight showing the Ferris Wheel from World’s Fair Auction.

Collectors of antiques ponder and debate an important question: Should items be restored or preserved as is? Unrestored antiques may command higher prices than do pieces that have been repaired, but some collectors see value restoring a treasured piece to as close as possible to its original condition. Restoration work performed by an expert may indeed be a worthy investment. When dealing with large paper ephemera from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, collectors inevitably confront chips, cracks, tears, fading, stains, creases … or worse.

Charles Graham’s poster of “The Ferris Wheel” from 1893.

One striking image of the Ferris Wheel is a color broadside of a painting by Charles Graham. The title on the poster reads “The Ferris Wheel / Midway Plaisance / World’s Columbian Exposition / Chicago 1893.” Although reproductions are common, the original print made in 1893 by the Winters Art Lithograph Company are scarce in any condition and command impressive prices at auction.

The paper restoration company POSTERFIX has posted a video showing their work bringing a rough copy of the Graham “Ferris Wheel” poster back to a respectable condition. The conservationist, Chris Clotier, describes the initial state:

“This Ferris Wheel poster came to us on old lining, plus glued to cardboard and cracked in several places. Black mold had already weakened the paper preventing us from bleaching the poster. I made the decision to overpaint where needed.”

The breathtaking transformation has been condensed into a mesmerizing eleven-minute video. I hope the owner of this treasure enjoys the restored poster as much as I did watching the restoration.

Chris Clotier of POSTERFIX restoring a vintage Ferris Wheel poster. Watch the video here.