In late November of 1892, Moses P. Handy moved into his new office inside the Administration Building on the Columbian Exposition fairgrounds in Jackson Park. As Chief of the Department of Publicity and Promotion, Handy had a staff of between four and forty-five, including local newspapermen Paul Hull and Sam V. Steele, both well-known among Chicago’s writers.
The Chicago Times (November 29, 1892) reported on the move-in and on the Publicity Chief’s impressive view of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ marvelous statue of Diana twirling in the wind atop the dome of the Agricultural Building:
“Major Handy passed the afternoon gazing upon the figure of Diana, who stood on the top of the neighboring Agricultural building with one leg drawn up, apparently in great pain. This was the major’s first appearance in his new quarters, and of course he was deeply moved. He had inhaled so much turpentine that he was afraid to light a cigar through danger of physical combustion. The bureau of promotion and publicity occupies the entire fourth floor of the northeast wing, the room set apart for press representatives being situated on the north side, overlooking the Electrical and Mining buildings. On account of the modesty of the young men who write about the World’s Fair for the papers the statue of Diana is not visible from the windows of this room, but Paul Hull and Sam Steele have kindly consented to issue bulletins from time to time touching upon the health and deportment of the unclad goddess … Major Handy said that he was delighted to find that his whiskers would match nicely with the dark hay window which Director of Works Burnham has kindly inserted just to the left of the major’s Etruscan escritoire. The view of Diana from this window cannot, however, be matched anywhere.”
Diana above the Agricultural Building at the 1893 World’s Fair.