An Archive of Past Events
Relating to the 1893 World’s Fair
Sept. 21, 2021: World’s Fair Auction #39 closes
Columbian Exposition collectors may be interested in World’s Fair Auction #39, now open for preview. Online bidding closes at 10:00 PM EST on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. The auction catalog can be viewed at: http://www.worldsfairauction.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi. Lots 21 through 71 are items related to the 1893 World’s Fair, and include several products commemorating various building of the White City: a china vase decorated with an image of the Horticultural Building; Report of the Committee on Awards World's Columbian Commission two-volume set; a Dedication Day program; a Libbey Glass Company exhibit booklet; a large selection of medals, coins, badges, and elongated [...]
Sept. 12, 2021: “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 12, 2021, 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 [...]
July 8, 2021: Designed the Dazzle and Delight: Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (Chicago)
The Newberry Library in Chicago will offer a one-day seminar on the 1893 World’s Fair on Thursday, July 8, 2021. Parks historian and preservationist Julia Bachrach will lead the Newberry Adult Education Seminar “Designed the Dazzle and Delight: Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition” from 6–8 pm online using Zoom. In 1890, when Congress awarded Chicago the honor of hosting the next World's Fair, civic leaders and exposition designers had a daunting task ahead of them. After a 600-acre windswept lakefront site was identified, it had to be transformed into magnificent fairgrounds, and fast. This seminar explores the fascinating making [...]
June 24, 2021: 1893 Chicago World’s Fair Celebration (online)
GreenFields Geneva, a senior living center in Geneva, Illinois, will host an “1893 Chicago World’s Fair Celebration” online lecture on Thursday, June 24 at 11 AM. Local historian Bob Dion will provide a tour of this triumph of American spirit and ingenuity. Viewers will experience the thrill of the fairgrounds and discover how the fair changed everything from packaged food to city planning. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required and available at https://greenfieldsgeneva.org/events/celebrate-the-1893-chicago-worlds-fair
Jun. 19, 2021–Jan. 9, 2022: “Chicago: When the Comics Came to Life” (Chicago Cultural Center)
Chicago’s role in the development of the early comic strip is the focus of a temporary exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center. Curated by artist and author Chris Ware, and Chicago Cultural Historian Emeritus, Tim Samuelson, “Chicago: When the Comics Came to Life” features the works of prominent Chicago artists and publishers from circa 1880 to 1960, with most artifacts coming from the curators’ personal collections. The vibrant and colorful story of the history of comics runs through the White City of the 1893 World Fair in Chicago. The first appearance of color comics printed in the United States [...]
June 9, 2021: “Chicago Encounters Japan: The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” (online)
The Driehaus Museum in Chicago will offer an online program on “Chicago Encounters Japan: The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition” on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. Dr. Janice Katz, the Roger L. Weston Associate Curator of Japanese Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, will present on the history and legacy of Japanese Ho-o-den on the Wooded Island. Japan’s presence at the exposition of 1893 in Chicago was tactful, inspirational, and enduring. In particular, the Phoenix Hall (Hooden) situated on an island in Jackson Park showed visitors how one could live surrounded by Japanese art through its period rooms. Chicagoans such [...]
May 20, 2021: “Film Firsts and the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair: Part II” (online)
Chicago Movie Tours will offer the second of two free "mini matinee" online lectures on Thursday, May 20 at 9:30 AM. "Film Firsts and the 1893 Chicago World's Fair: Part II" promises to celebrate the fathers of modern movies and that time they filmed Chicago's famous Ferris wheel. To attend the event, just view their Facebook page at the scheduled time and click on the live video.
May 13, 2021: “Film Firsts and the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair: Part I” (online)
Chicago Movie Tours will offer two free "mini matinee" online lectures on Facebook. The first, on Thursday, May 13 at 9:30 AM is "Film Firsts and the 1893 Chicago World's Fair: Part I." The presentation will uncover what human eyesight, galloping horses, and a missed Chicago deadline have in common. The second presentation, on Thursday, May 20 at 9:30 AM, is "Film Firsts and the 1893 Chicago World's Fair: Part II" which promises to celebrate the fathers of modern movies and that time they filmed Chicago's famous Ferris wheel. To attend these events, just view their Facebook page at [...]
Apr. 30, 2021: “A Day at the 1893 World’s Fair” (online)
Our friends at Chicago Detours have provided engaging and informative virtual programming during our pandemic quarantine, with online events such as “Innovations of the 1893 World’s Fair,” “Wonders of the 1893 World’s Fair,” and “LGBT Chicago History in 1893.” They are heading back to the World’s Columbian Exposition on Friday, Apr. 30, 2021, with a virtual tour called “A Day at the 1893 World's Fair.” They will depart for Jackson Park at 7 PM, and guest can join them on Zoom for a 50-minute interactive tour that will answer important questions such as “How will you get there?”, “How [...]
Apr. 28-July 9, 2021: “ReIMAGINE Aunt Jemima” exhibit (Chicago)
A new exhibit in Chicago explores an advertising campaign launched at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and only recently ended. ReIMAGINE Aunt Jemima is on display in the lobby of the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library (9525 S Halsted Street in Chicago) from April 28 to July 9, 2021. ReIMAGINE Aunt Jemima on display at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library in Chicago. The exhibit centers on the Chicagoans and "living trademarks" Nancy Green and Edith Wilson, who portrayed Aunt Jemima for public events. The display features several historical images and documents relating to the 1893 World’s [...]