June 14-July 7, 2019: “White City Murder” takes the stage in Indianapolis

Eric Larson’s fascinating best-seller The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (2003) introduced many to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. For better or for worse, his pairing of the story of building the World’s Fair in Jackson Park and the exploits of serial killer H. H. Holmes in nearby Englewood has made an enduring connection between the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and murder. [For the record: no known murders occurred [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:47:55-06:00May 24th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past), THEATER|Tags: |0 Comments

White City Walking Tours 2019

There is something magical about walking through Jackson Park and thinking about how this was the center of the world for six months in 1893. On the surface there is little left of the White City, except for the some of the main landscaping features and a rebuilt Art Palace that now serves as the Museum of Science and Industry. But with an expert tour guide, the grandeur of the Dream City on the Lake resurfaces in the mind’s [...]

By Scott|2025-10-29T16:46:13-05:00May 10th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments

June 14, 2019: “The Devil’s Ball” at the Auditorium Theater (Chicago)

An evening inspired by the 1893 World’s Fair takes the stage at the historic Auditorium Theatre on Friday, June 14, 2019. The Auxiliary Board’s annual Devil’s Ball promises to be “a night of devilishly good fun” that features a premium open bar with beer, wine, and cocktails; heavy hors d’oeuvres featuring global cuisine; and dancing on the stage that has hosted artists and performers for 130 years. Designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, the Auditorium was the nation's largest [...]

By Scott|2024-11-21T09:25:41-06:00May 4th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments

June 2, 2019: “When the World Came to Chicago: The 1893 Columbian Exposition” at Elmhurst History Museum

In conjunction with their new exhibit “Worlds of Wonder: Remembering Chicagoland's Amusement Parks” the Elmhurst History Museum is hosting an event focused on the 1893 World’s Fair. “When the World Came to Chicago: The 1893 Columbian Exposition” is offered at the Museum on June 2, 2019, from 2-3 p.m. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition is often credited with putting Chicago on the international map, and citizens have long been fascinated with the fascinating details of this amazing fair that welcomed [...]

By Scott|2019-06-08T08:20:27-05:00May 2nd, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|0 Comments

Louisville celebrates 1893 World’s Fair sculptor Enid Yandell

Louisville, Kentucky, is celebrating hometown sculptor Enid Yandell (1870-1934) with a series of events in 2019. The Louisville native, who studied under Auguste Rodin and Frederick MacMonnies, contributed several notable works to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Yandell sculpted the four caryatids supporting the railing of the roof garden of the Woman’s Building. She was selected for the job for Bertha Palmer, President of the Board of Lady Managers and herself a Kentucky native. The artist also [...]

May 17-Aug. 18, 2019: “Worlds of Wonder: Remembering Chicagoland’s Amusement Parks” exhibit (Elmhust, IL)

The Elmhurst History Museum will open a new exhibit titled “Worlds of Wonder: Remembering Chicagoland's Amusement Parks” on May 17, 2019. Chicago has had its share of jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring amusement parks, from the rotations of the first Ferris Wheel at the 1893 World's Columbian exhibition to the ups-and-downs of The Bobs at Riverview. This new exhibit celebrates Chicago's favorite destinations for fun and thrills, including early trolley parks and suburban attractions like Kiddieland and Dispensa's Kiddie Kingdom. Learn about [...]

By Scott|2019-09-02T09:55:27-05:00April 17th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past), EXHIBITS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments

May 5, 2019: 25th Annual World’s Fair Memorabilia Show (Elk Grove Village, IL)

The 25th Annual World's Fair Memorabilia Show will be held on Sunday, May 5, 2019, from 10 am to 4 pm at the Holiday Inn at 1000 Busse Road (Rt. 83 and Landmeier Rd.) in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Collectors and dealers will meet to buy, sell, and trade items related to World's Fairs from 1876 to the present. Although the main focus will be on the 1933/34 Chicago World's Fair, there will also be items from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition [...]

By Scott|2022-03-10T18:43:37-06:00April 5th, 2019|Categories: ANTIQUES, EVENTS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments

May 4, 2019: Ride Like the Devil in a “Devil in the White City” Bike Tour (Chicago)

The Chicago History Museum is offering a “Ride Like the Devil: a Devil in the White City Bike Tour” on Saturday, May 4, 2019, from 9:45 am to 12:45 pm. Cycle back to 1893, pedal past sites related to the World’s Fair, and discover its lasting influence on Chicago. Along the way, tour guide Greg Borzo, author of Where to Bike Chicago, will uncover Daniel Burnham’s grand plans and the devilish doings of H. H. Holmes. The route will [...]

April 26, 2019: 1893 Scavenger Hunt in the Chicago Loop

If you love learning about the history of the 1893 World’s Fair, are passionate about Chicago architecture, enjoy puzzles, and want to stretch your legs, then head to the Chicago Loop for “Glitz, Glamour…and Panic! A Hunt for the History of 1893 in Chicago.” Atlas Obscura Chicago Field Agent Patti Swanson is once again hosting her "Google-proof" scavenger hunt in the Chicago Loop on Friday, April 26, 2019. You will meet on the steps of the Art Institute of [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:48:09-06:00March 26th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Mar 27-May 5, 2019: Wilmette (IL) Public Library One Book, Everybody Reads “The Lake on Fire”

For their 2019 One Book, Everybody Reads program, the Wilmette (IL) Public Library has a selected a title related to the 1893 World’s Fair. Rosellen Brown's 2018 acclaimed novel, The Lake on Fire, is set in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The publisher describes The Lake on Fire as an epic narrative that begins among 19th century Jewish immigrants on a failing Wisconsin farm. Lured by the potential for new life, Chaya and her brilliant younger brother [...]

By Scott|2024-10-27T12:19:02-05:00March 23rd, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|0 Comments

Mar. 4-Apr. 22, 2019: Montclair Reads “The Devil in the White City” (Montclair, NJ)

The Montclair Library (Montclair, NJ) is hosting a series of events relating to the 1893 World’s Fair as part of their programming for Montclair Reads The Devil in the White City, focused on Erik Larson’s best-selling book (soon to be a miniseries) about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and a nearby killer, H. H. Holmes. Events include: Montclair in the Gilded Age. Monday, March 4 at 6:30 pm, Main Library Auditorium. Learn about life in Montclair in the late [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:47:07-06:00March 16th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Apr. 13, 2019: Devil in the White City Bus Tour

Experience the murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America on a 4-hour bus tour offered by the Chicago History Museum on Saturday, April 13, 2019. Inspired by Erik Larson’s best-selling book (soon to be a miniseries), this tour will take you back to 1893 with historian Al Walavich, to follow the trails of Daniel Burnham and the devilish doings of H. H. Holmes. Visit the historic fairgrounds, the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park, and discover what has [...]

May 3-5, 2019: Chicago Antiquarian Map, Book & Ephemera Fair

The Chicago Antiquarian Map, Book & Ephemera Fair, to be held from May 3-5, 2019, at the Newberry Library (60 W. Walton St. in Chicago), will gather over thirty exhibitors offering a wide array of maps, books, and ephemera for sale. Among the tables may be some treasures from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, according to the fair’s featured item’s page. The Abraham Lincoln Book Shop offers a fascinating souvenir World's Columbian Expo Myriopticon for $1,850. The wooden box, [...]

By Scott|2022-10-17T08:58:22-05:00March 7th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|0 Comments

Mar. 11, 2019: The Vanishing City–Excavating the World’s Fair (McHenry County Historical Society & Museum)

The McHenry County Historical Society & Museum will kick off its 33rd annual Sampler Lecture Series on Monday, March 11 with a look at the 1893 World’s Fair with “The Vanishing City: Excavating the World’s Fair.” Rebecca Graff, assistant professor of anthropology and chair of the American studies at Lake Forest College, divulges what is hiding beneath the future Obama Presidential Center site in Chicago. Jackson Park at one time housed the 1893 World’s Columbia Exposition. After the fair, [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:39:57-06:00February 25th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|0 Comments

Mar. 23, 2019: Devil in the White City Bus Tour

Experience the murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America on a 4-hour bus tour offered by the Chicago History Museum on Saturday, March 23, 2019. (A second tour will be offered on April 13, 2019.) Inspired by Erik Larson’s best-selling book (soon to be a miniseries), this tour will take you back to 1893 with historian Al Walavich, to follow the trails of Daniel Burnham and the devilish doings of H. H. Holmes. Visit the historic fairgrounds, the Garden [...]

By Scott|2025-01-30T18:40:28-06:00February 23rd, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Jan. 24, 2019: Sophia Hayden’s Gold Medal To Be Auctioned

The reverse of Hayden's presentation medal . [Image from John McInnis Auctioneers.] John McInnis Auctioneers (76 Main Street, Amesbury, MA) will offer a rare item from the 1893 World’s Fair in their “Numismatics, Exonumia, Silver and Jewelry” auction on Thursday January 24, 2019. Lot 10 is a 14-karat gold presentation medal awarded to architect Sophia Hayden for her design of the Woman’s Building. An inscription on the obverse reads "Sophia G. Hayden--Presented by the Board of Lady Managers [...]

By Scott|2019-01-30T21:33:32-06:00January 16th, 2019|Categories: ANTIQUES, EVENTS (past)|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

Feb. 2, 2019: Potter & Potter Auctions to Offer Columbian Exposition Collectibles

A Statue of the Republic plaster model up for sale through Potter & Potter Auctions on February 2, 2019. Potter & Potter Auctions of Chicago will offer several interesting World’s Columbian Exposition items in their February 2nd auction, “Fine Books and Manuscripts: Featuring Important Chicago Memorabilia.” A unique lot is a three-foot, golden Statue of the Republic plaster model, identified as being produced by Orlandi Statuary of Chicago in 1993 for the 100th anniversary of the Exposition. [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:38:41-06:00January 12th, 2019|Categories: ANTIQUES, EVENTS (past)|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Jan. 29, 2019: World’s Fair Auction #33 closes

Columbian Exposition collectors may be interested in World’s Fair Auction #33, now open for preview. Online bidding closes on Tuesday, January 29, 2019, at 10 PM EDT. The auction catalog can be viewed at: http://www.worldsfairauction.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi. Lots 7 through 25 are items related to the 1893 World’s Fair, and include several products commemorating various building of the White City: • a decorative powder box with a picture of the Administration Building; • a jig saw puzzle picturing the Transportation Building, [...]

By Scott|2019-01-30T21:33:46-06:00January 11th, 2019|Categories: ANTIQUES, EVENTS (past)|Tags: |0 Comments

Feb. 13, 2019: “The Black Presence at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893” Newberry Seminar (Chicago)

Chicago’s Newberry Library will offer a six-week seminar on “The Black Presence at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893,” to be held from 5:45-7:45 pm on Wednesdays starting on February 13 and ending on March 20, 2019. Led by Christopher Reed, Professor Emeritus of History at Roosevelt University, the seminar examines the role of African Americans in the World’s Fair with the aim of questioning the narrative established by the pamphlet The Reason Why the Colored American Is Not [...]

By Scott|2022-10-17T08:58:06-05:00December 17th, 2018|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Sept. 25, 2018: Columbian Exposition Symposium and Exhibit at BYU-Idaho

The McKay Library Special Collections of Brigham Young University-Idaho has mounted an exhibition “See the Fair; Exploring the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition 125 Years Later” during the Fall 2018 semester. With many items coming from the personal collection of Andrea Radke-Moss, a professor in the History Department, the exhibit showcases books, photos, stereoview cards, pamphlets, and other World’s Fair memorabilia, along with a display of period clothing. The exhibit runs from September 25 through December 14, 2018. BYU-Idaho is [...]

By Scott|2023-11-04T19:08:18-05:00December 11th, 2018|Categories: EVENTS (past), EXHIBITS (past)|Tags: , , |0 Comments
Go to Top