An Archive of Past Events
Relating to the 1893 World’s Fair
Nov. 12, 2023: “Collectibles from Chicago’s Two World’s Fairs” (Chicago)
The Glessner House in Chicago is hosting an event showcasing collections from both the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the 1933-34 Century of Progress. On Sunday, November 12, 2023, "Collectibles from Chicago's Two World's Fairs" will bring together several World's Fair collectors who will exhibit a portion of their collections, ranging from guidebooks, postcards, tickets, and commemorative coins to wall hangings, glass and ceramic tchotchkes, plates, and silver spoons. We will be bringing some items from our collection and look forward to meeting other collectors or Columbian Exposition ethusiasts who attend. Schedule: 2:00 - 3:15 pm: Exhibit 3:15 - [...]
Nov. 11, 2023: “Perspective of Wonder” talk by Cindy Angell Keeling (Chicago)
“Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” By Cindy Angell Keeling Saturday, November 11, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Chicago Public Library, Uptown Branch (929 W. Buena Ave.) Author Cindy Angell Keeling will offer a fascinating introduction to the spectacular Chicago World’s Fair in her presentation "Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition" on Saturday, November 11, 2023. In this entertaining presentation, Cindy will take you on a tour of the fairgrounds using vintage photographs, maps, and artwork. Which building had the most ostentatious dome? What in the world is "staff," and why [...]
Oct 19-20, 2023: “The Art of Dying: The Death in the Columbian Exposition” (Lombard, IL)
The Lombard Historical Society will explore some devilry in the White City at an event titled "The Art of Dying: The Death in the Columbian Exposition." Guests will learn about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the murders of H. H. Holmes in the context of Lombard, Illinois. Tours begin at 6, 7, and 8 pm on Thursday, October 19 and Friday, October 20, 2023 at the Lombard Historical Society and Victorian Cottage (23 W Maple Street in Lombard, IL). Tickets are $15 per person (service fees not included).
Oct. 19, 2023: “Harriet Monroe & the Open Door” (Chicago and online)
The Newberry Library in Chicago will host a lecture on 1893 World’s Fair poet Harriet Monroe on October 19, 2023. Liesl Olson, Director of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and former Director of Chicago Studies at the Newberry Library, will present “Harriet Monroe & the Open Door.” Harriet Monroe's extraordinary life and work gave the world one of the most exciting and enduring magazines devoted to “the best English verse which is being written today, regardless of where, by whom, or under what theory of art it is written.” In partnership with the current exhibition at the Poetry Foundation, [...]
Oct 6-7, 2023: “The White City: An Audible Exhibition on H. H. Holmes, Murderer” (Chicago)
The Glessner House in Chicago will host the first staged reading of The White City: An Audible Exhibition on H. H. Holmes, Murderer on October 6 and 7, 2023. Theater in the Dark presents playwright Rick Kinnebrew’s captivating examination of one of the late 19th century’s most notorious characters. Directed by Corey Bradberry and presented in the style of classic radio dramas of the 1930s and 1940s, the production combines the written word, human voices, original music, and rich soundscapes ranging from the Ferris Wheel to the gallows where Holmes was executed. The White City is based on the [...]
Sep. 21, 2023: “Women’s Work at the 1893 World’s Fair” (Evanston, IL)
The Evanston History Center will host a presentation on "Women’s Work at the 1893 World’s Fair" by Diane Dillon on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 7 pm. Her presentation will explore the range of contributions women made to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, including the work of Bertha Palmer and the Board of Lady Managers, the protest of Ida B. Wells, the design of the Woman’s Building by architect Sophia Hayden, and the Congress of Representative Women. Dr. Dillion, scholar-in-residence at the Newberry Library, curated an exhibition there in 2018 about the World’s Columbian Exposition. The event, [...]
Sep. 14, 2023 – Jan. 13, 2024: Harriet Monroe & the Open Door (Chicago)
The temporary exhibition Harriet Monroe & the Open Door at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago showcases the fascinating line connecting today’s world-renowned poetry magazine back to a poem written for the 1893 World’s Fair. Archival documents and photographs on display with accompanying descriptive texts tell the story of Harriet Monroe, her “Columbian Ode” poem, and the landmark copyright lawsuit that helped launch Poetry magazine. Part of the exhibition display for Harriet Monroe & the Open Door at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago. In 1891, the Committee on Ceremonies of the Columbian Exposition invited Harriet Monroe to write [...]
Sep. 12, 2023: “Restoring Freya” (Geneva, IL)
The Geneva History Museum will offer a presentation on "Restoring Freya" on Tuesday, September 12 from 12- 1 pm. Freya is the new name for the newly restored dragon head and tail of the original Viking ship that sailed from Norway to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Participants will learn all about the restoration process used by Third Coast Conservation on the century-old artifact. The Viking ship dragon head and tail are on display at the Museum through December 23 as the centerpiece of the exhibition “Viking's Voyage." "Restoring Freya" is part of theGeneva History Museum's Brown Bag [...]
Sept. 10, 2023: “Walking the White City” tour (Chicago)
The Glessner House is offering a "Walking the White City" tour of the former fairgrounds of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition on Sunday, September 10, 2023, from 10 AM to noon. Architect and historian John Waters will guide participants on a walking tour of Jackson Park to see the sites of landmarks of the 1893 World's Fair, explore the fascinating vestiges, and learn how the Fair influenced the design of Jackson Park as we know it today. The tour will meet at the base of sculptor Daniel Chester French’s golden Statue of the Republic on Hayes Drive, which marks [...]
Sep. 9, 2023: “Swami Vivekananda’s 1893 Sojourn in Chicago” (Chicago)
The Art Institute of Chicago will host a presentation on "The Monk, the World’s Parliament, and the Museum—Swami ’s 1893 Sojourn in Chicago" on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Curator Dr. Madhuvanti Ghose will discuss the time in 1893 when an unknown Hindu monk, Swami Vivekananda, travelled from Calcutta to Chicago to deliver a speech at the inaugural session of the World’s Parliament of Religions held at The World's Columbian Exposition. The oration, delivered in what is today the Art Institute’s Fullerton Hall, earned him a two-minute standing ovation and provided a groundbreaking articulation of Hinduism for Western audiences. The [...]