An Archive of Past Events
Relating to the 1893 World’s Fair
Feb. 25-Jun. 25, 2022: “Crossings: Mapping American Journeys” (Newberry Library, Chicago)
A map of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition fairgrounds is part of a new exhibit at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Maps, guidebooks, travelogues, postcards, and more from the Library’s collection recreate travelers’ experiences along the northern and southern borders of the US, across the continent’s interior, and up and down the Mississippi River. “Crossings: Mapping American Journeys” includes an enlarged print of the Indexed Guide Map and Key to the World’s Fair Buildings, Grounds, and Exhibits from the Rand, McNally and Company for the Old Times Distillery Company. The Old Times Distillery Company of Louisville, Kentucky, sponsored a [...]
Jan. 28-Nov. 1, 2022: “No Compact of Silence” exhibit (Indianapolis)
The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis has a new special exhibit highlighting national and local Black civil rights activists during President Benjamin Harrison’s term in office (1889–1893). “No ‘Compact of Silence’: Black Civil Rights Advocates in the Harrison Era” explores the complex dynamics of race in late 19th century America, including the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Prominent individuals who will be featured include Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells. April 1890, President Harrison officially signed an act providing for an “international exhibition of arts, industries, manufactures, and the products of the soil, mine, and sea" to [...]
Jan. 28, 2022: “Innovations at the 1893 World’s Fair” (online)
Chicago Detours invites guests to explore “Innovations at the 1893 World's Fair” on January 28, 2022, at 7 pm. Through a virtual visit (via Zoom) to the World's Columbian Exposition, attendees will delve into the inventions, engineering feats, and gastronomical exhibits that wowed visitors to Chicago's most esteemed event. During this one-hour tour, you will see interior photos of the jaw-dropping sights like the Electricity Hall and the Manufacturers Building, hear stories of technological marvels like electric boats and a massive telescope, consider the variety of foods on display at the Fair (including giant food sculptures), and play a [...]
Jan. 14, 2022: “A Day at the 1893 World’s Fair” (online)
Chicago Detours invites guests to “A Day at the 1893 World's Fair” January 14, 2022, at 7 pm. Through a virtual visit (via Zoom) to the World's Columbian Exposition, attendees will learn how to get to the fairgrounds and purchase tickets, where to find lunch, and even where to find a bathroom. During this one-hour tour, you will learn about the people, places and ideas from the World’s Fair along with historic photos, ride a 3-D recreation of the original Ferris Wheel, and play a fast-paced trivia game that reveals sights and experiences that fairgoers would have encountered. The [...]
Oct. 8, 2021: “City on Fire” opens at the Chicago History Museum
Embers of the Great Chicago Fire continue to smolder. Stories of tragedy and triumph from October 8–10, 1871, and the years of rebuilding that followed have been cause for somber remembrance and jubilant celebration throughout the years, including at “Chicago Day” held at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Fire, the Chicago History Museum has opened a new permanent exhibit, “City on Fire: Chicago 1871." Several displays and artifacts connected to the 1893 World’s Fair are featured. “City on Fire” focuses on the experiences of several survivors of the conflagration, including ten-year-old Fannie [...]
Sept. 24, 2021: “Romanticism to Ruin: Two Lost Works of Sullivan and Wright” (Chicago)
An exhibit at Wrightwood 659 in Chicago explores two lost architectural masterworks: the Garrick Theatre Building in Chicago designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Larkin Building in Buffalo. Curated by John Vinci, Tim Samuelson, Eric Nordstrom, Chris Ware and Jonathan D. Katz, “Romanticism to Ruin: Two Lost Works of Sullivan and Wright” uses fragments, drawings, photography, and narrative to elucidate the life and death of these two iconic buildings. The first section of the exhibit, “Reconstructing the Garrick,” highlights the many connections between the Adler and Sullivan’s design of the Garrick Theatre Building, which [...]
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