RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
Edward Bellamy Looks Backward to the 1893 World’s Fair
America’s favorite futurist fustigated the Fair. “The underlying motive of the whole exhibition, under a sham pretense of patriotism is business, advertising with a view to individual money-making,” wrote Edward Bellamy (March 26, 1850 – May 22, 1898) about the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Bellamy’s 1888 novel Looking Backward: 2000–1887 was among the most popular and influential writings of the Gilded Age. His protagonist Julian West falls asleep in 1887 and awakens in 2000, when the United States has been transformed into a socialist utopia. (Spot on, Edward!) Following the commercial success of this novel, Bellamy established The New [...]
Apr. 12-Aug. 11, 2024: Arte Diseño Xicágo II-From the World’s Fair To The Present Day (Chicago)
The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is hosting an exhibit that explores art from the time of the 1893 World’s Fair. Arte Diseño Xicágo II (Art Design Chicago II) runs from April 12 through August 11, 2024. This exhibition examines the 1893 World’s Fair as a platform for expressions of cultural identity and reveals how many Chicago and Mexican artists had similar objectives. The exhibition features 19th-century works of art from both Chicago and Mexico by some of the leading artists participating in the World’s Fair, along with contemporary artworks by Mexican-born, Chicago-based artists whose art reflects [...]
Apr. 14, 2024: “The Enthronement of Merchandise with the Aura of Amusement” (Online)
The Farm House Museum at Iowa State University in Ames is hosting an online talk on the grandiose displays of manufacturers at late 19th- and early 20th-century world’s fairs, including the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. World's fairs scholar Ethan Robey of the University of California, Irvine, will present "The Enthronement of Merchandise with the Aura of Amusement" on Sunday, April 14, 2024, from 2- 3 PM (US Central) via Zoom. Using the link above to register for this free event. This lecture is part of the programing for the Museum's exhibition on “World's Fairs, Expositions, & Centennial Celebrations of [...]
Apr. 12–14, 2024: Chicago Steampunk Exposition
What do you get when you combine a World’s Fair with retro-futuristic imagination? Come to the 2024 Chicago Steampunk Exposition to find out! Throughout the weekend of Apr. 12–14, 2024, the Expo will host talks, workshops, activities, and shopping for steampunk enthusiasts who enjoy imagining an alternate World’s Columbian Exposition with Gilded Age gothic adventures. The weekend includes live-action role-playing games, an afternoon tea, and an Artists’ Alley & Printers’ Row marketplace. Be on the lookout for gas lamps, mermaids, dirigibles, and vampires as you explore the fantasy fairgrounds. There are 13 bodies hidden somewhere on the fairgrounds [...]
Mar. 27, 2024: “Love and Laughter: An Evening of Song” (Chicago)
A concert at the University of Chicago on March 27 will include music from a notable 1893 World’s Fair participant. “Love and Laughter: An Evening of Song,” featuring acclaimed baritone Kenneth Overton and internationally recognized pianist Casey Robards, will be a celebration of the rich artistic contributions of Black American composers and poets. The program will include a special performance of a song cycle composed by Anthony Patterson, Robards’ husband, set to the poignant and evocative texts of renowned poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dunbar made his first appearance at the World’s Fair on “Colored People Day” (August 25) through [...]
Mar. 17, 2023: Hyde Park Historical Society Open House (Chicago)
The Hyde Park Historical Society will host their monthly Open House on Saturday March, 17, 2023, with a theme of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. Visitors are invited to stop by the headquarters at 5529 S. Lake Park Avenue to learn more about the 1893 World’s Fair that took place in nearby Jackson Park. On display will be books, posters, and coloring book pages. You can also test your knowledge of World’s Fair Trivia (and possibly win a prize!) and sample some snacks that fairgoers enjoyed while visiting the Fair.
Cumberland Gap was passed over for the 1892 World’s Fair
Congressmen filed into the great hall of the U.S. Capitol as the House of Representatives went into session on February 24, 1890. Just after noon, the first order of business was a vote to select a host site for the upcoming World’s Fair, then planned for 1892. Boosters from New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C., packed the galleries in nervous anticipation. Support in Congress seemed to be split among the four cities vying for the honor, so no one expected a winner to emerge in this first ballot. Interior view of House chamber during session of [...]
162. Picturesque World’s Fair – On the Short of the North Lagoon
ON THE SHORE OF THE NORTH LAGOON.—There were many charming bits of scenery in the great Exposition grounds, and many novel views which could be enjoyed only from a boat or from points not generally sought by the mass of visitors. One of these views is represented in the accompanying picture, the observer being close to the south shore of the North Lagoon and just east of the strait leading to the bodies of water further south. On the left, in the immediate foreground, is the big Illinois Building, and to the right of that the Indiana Building, with [...]
1893 World’s Columbian Exposition “Construction Team” clothing
None of the thousands of workers who built the fairgrounds of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition ever got a souvenir insignia apparel, but that doesn't mean you can't! The Walt Disney Birthplace project offers a "World's Columbian Exposition Construction Team" design as a T-shirt, long-sleeve T, and hoodie: Walt Disney's father, Elias Disney, moved his family to Chicago to find work helping to build the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, a world's fair that truly changed the course of history (and no doubt planted the seeds for what would become Disneyland). The apparel can be purchased at https://urshirtingme.com/walt-disney-birthplace-fair-construction/. Every sale [...]
Mar. 7, 2024: “Chicago: City of Influence — Amusement Parks” (Chicago and online)
Chicago for Chicagoans is hosting a presentation on the history of Amusement Parks for the next offering in their “Chicago: City of Influence” lecture series. On Thursday, March 7, speaker Sam Prestigiacomo will discuss the 1893 World’s Fair as the birthplace of many inventions and the inspiration for many entertainment entrepreneurs. The lecture can be attended in person at a hidden speakeasy in Lakeview (Shhhh! It’s Room 13 at the Old Chicago Inn ... but you need a password to enter!) by reserving a ticket here. The lecture also will be streamed live on the Chicago for Chicagoans Facebook [...]