“One Unmitigated Nightmare of Horror”—Crowds in Chicago for the 1893 World’s Fair

State Street, that great street in the todd’ling town of Chicago, is in need of revitalization. Urban planners aim to bring more people back to “Chicago’s front porch.” Back in 1893, this was one of the busiest throughfares in the world, and many walking through the frenetic business district were visitors to the World’s Fair. Not all the locals were happy about the thick crowds, as recorded in the article reprinted below, from the August 17, 1893, issue of [...]

By |2023-09-16T10:08:31-05:00September 16th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|0 Comments
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155. Picturesque World’s Fair – Entrance to the German Castle

ENTRANCE TO THE GERMAN CASTLE.--The entrance to the German Castle in the German Village, in the Midway Plainance, was the part of that structure which most recalled to mind a castle of the medieval barons, who had such particularly good times when the Emperor would let them alone and when raids upon their neighbors were always exciting and sometimes profitable. The moat was not very wide nor very deep; the drawbridge would not have accommodated a grand pageant of [...]

By |2023-10-10T17:11:08-05:00August 22nd, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments
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154. Picturesque World’s Fair – East front of Machinery Hall and the Obelisk

EAST FRONT OF MACHINERY HALL, AND THE OBELISK.—The area of water extending to the south from the Grand Basin and known as the South Canal was so entirely surrounded by the beautiful in art or architecture that a view across it from any point was sure to be something captivating. The view above is from the northeast corner of the canal, just where the " Farmer's Bridge " terminated on the area in front of the Agriculture Building, with [...]

By |2023-10-10T17:09:30-05:00July 27th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 4: A Transformation Scene

Continued from Part 3 THE FAIR AS A SPECTACLE. How it seemed to a visitor—Strolling and dreaming by day and by night. By Charles Mulford Robinson Part 4: A Transformation Scene In such a mental condition, the best thing one could do was to take the Intramural Electric Railroad, itself a scientific exhibit, to the southern end of the grounds, and there to visit La Rabida. This was not part of a dream city, but of the living world—the [...]

By |2023-07-03T17:23:44-05:00July 3rd, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , , , , , |0 Comments
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 3: An Enormous Whirligig of Pleasure

Continued from Part 2 [Note: This text includes names and descriptions now considered culturally disparaging. Please see our statement on “Potentially Offensive Text and Images.”] THE FAIR AS A SPECTACLE. How it seemed to a visitor—Strolling and dreaming by day and by night. By Charles Mulford Robinson Part 3: An Enormous Whirligig of Pleasure The entrance to the Plaisance was directly beyond this building. Serious purposed womanhood, as personified by the structure, stood before the Plaisance, blocking the way [...]

By |2023-07-03T06:41:30-05:00July 2nd, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , , , , |3 Comments
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque

Continued from Part 1 [Note: This text includes names and descriptions now considered culturally disparaging. Please see our statement on “Potentially Offensive Text and Images.”] THE FAIR AS A SPECTACLE. How it seemed to a visitor—Strolling and dreaming by day and by night. By Charles Mulford Robinson Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque But in that brief view a lesson was also taught you which you took to heart at once. It was that the charm of the [...]

By |2023-07-02T13:10:12-05:00July 1st, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |1 Comment
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 1: “Behold my grandeur!”

Continued from Introduction THE FAIR AS A SPECTACLE. How it seemed to a visitor—Strolling and dreaming by day and by night. By Charles Mulford Robinson Part 1: “Behold my grandeur!” As a loving word rings in the heart when the voice that breathed it is still, as a beautiful face dwells in Memory’s kingdom after years have flown, and a noble deed still lives though its occasion be passed, so the beauty of the Fair, written anew in thousands [...]

By |2023-07-03T06:44:38-05:00June 30th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , , , , , , , |2 Comments
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Introduction: Charles Mulford Robinson visits the Dream City

“The Columbian Exposition had a decidedly reformist influence,” writes World’s Fair historian Reid Badger, “and there is little question that it was at least an indirect factor in the development of the ‘City Beautiful’ movement.” [Badger 115] Among the great urban planning pioneers influenced by the 1893 World’s Fair was Charles Mulford Robinson (1869–1917). Urban-planning pioneer Charles Mulford Robinson memorialized the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in his essay “The Fair as a Spectacle.” [Image from Johnson, Rossiter A [...]

By |2023-07-03T06:40:16-05:00June 29th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: |1 Comment
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153. Picturesque World’s Fair – Sections of Timber and Gladstone’s Axe

SECTIONS OF TIMBER AND GLADSTONE'S AX.—One of the great " show pieces " in the Forestry Building had a personal attraction in that the implement actually used in chopping by one of the most famous men in the world formed a portion of the exhibit. This was the ax, with its history properly attested, which had been used by Mr. Gladstone in cutting down a tree upon his eightieth birthday. In the center of the building stood a collection [...]

By |2023-06-27T06:05:08-05:00June 27th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: , |0 Comments
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“Think of it. Three thousand people on a wheel!”

The magnificent Ferris Wheel on the Midway Plaisance of the World’s Columbian Exposition opened to the public on June 21, 1893. Some first-hand accounts of riding in the mechanical monster capture the thrill of what it felt like for those first passengers—many of whom may have never even been in a building with more than a few floors tall—to be lifted into the air. A special correspondence to the San Francisco Morning Call (July 7, 1893) shared this experience [...]

By |2023-06-11T08:42:03-05:00June 21st, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: |0 Comments
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