RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
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, [...]
Now We Are Six
Six years ago, we started this website to share our interest in the 1893 World's Fair with others. We have greatly enjoyed populating the site with research articles, historic images, announcements, and occasional amusements. Most of all, we've been honored hearing from researchers, collectors, curators, archivists, authors, artists, and curious readers who find this site useful. Looking back six years ... Our most-read post is "Death of the Republic: The fiery end to the golden colossus of the 1893 World’s Fair". One of the most-visited addition to our website are the interactive maps under the Fairgrounds section A very [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 any sort, and the battlements of the castle were not so high but that a good bowman outside could have [...]
DREAM CITY DREAMING by Cindy Angell Keeling
Dream City Dreaming by Cindy Angell Keeling. Petite Parasol Press, 2023. 336 pages. Hardcover, $27.99. ISBN 9798987489000. Paperback, $17.99. ISBN 9798987489017. Kindle $9.99. “There’s magic at the fair that turns the most stalwart souls into hopeless romantics,” asserts one character in Dream City Dreaming by Cindy Angell Keeling. Combining well-rounded characters, a captivating story about visiting the Columbian Exposition, and vivid descriptions of the fairgrounds, this new historical novel crackles with the magic and romance of the 1893 World’s Fair. Any reader who dreams of traveling back in time to the most exciting but ephemeral city on earth will [...]
Aug 8, 2023: “At the World’s Fair: North Shore Resident’s Roles in the 1893 Columbian Exposition” (Online
The Winnetka Historical Society is offering an online program titled "At the World's Fair: North Shore Resident's Roles in the 1893 Columbian Exposition" from 7-8 pm (Central Time) on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. Join the free event to learn how several North Shore residents were involved in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and how the Fair had a profound impact on the city and its surrounding suburbs in many ways, including its art, architecture, and industry. Sponsored by the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District. Register at https://winnetkalibrary.libcal.com/event/10581530
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 the observer looking toward the southwest. The great arch of the Southern Colonnade and the east portal of Machinery Hall [...]
Aug 1, 2023: “Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” (online)
Cindy Angell Keeling will offer an online presentation “Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” about the 1893 World’s Fair on Tuesday, August 1, at 7 pm CT. Which building had the most ostentatious dome? What in the world is "staff," and why was it important to the Fair? Which concession featured a donkey ride up a mountain? Participants are invited to travel back in time with her to find out. Keeling is the author of the historical novel, Dream City Dreaming (Petite Parasol Press, 2023). Attendees of the August 1 presentation will be entered [...]