RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair? (Pt 1)
The pair of lion sculptures by Edward Kemeys that stand in front of the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) are not cast from sculptures at the 1893 World’s Fair. This misinformation, which appears to have originated in the late 1980s, now permeates descriptions of these iconic Chicago mascots in institutional, popular, and scholarly sources. A set of sixteen lion sculptures stood at the entrances to the Palace of Fine Arts at the World’s Columbian Exposition (WCE), and numerous contemporary sources credit their authorship to A. Phimister Proctor and Theodore Baur (not Kemeys). More importantly, the designs of Kemeys’ AIC lions clearly do not match any of the WCE lions.
“Very beautiful beyond description”
Who was Samuel A. Dow? How did he get to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago from his home in North Hampton, New Hampshire? Which buildings did he visit on the fairgrounds? What site did he describe as "very beautiful beyond description"? The North Hampton Historical Society shares a summary of his diary in "Mr Dow Goes to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair." The New Hampshire State Building. [Image from Arnold, C. D.; Higinbotham, H. D. World's Columbian Exposition: State Buildings Portfolio of Views (National Cemograph Co., 1893).]
141. Picturesque World’s Fair – Proctor’s Noted Statue of “The Indian”
PROCTOR'S NOTED STATUE OF "THE INDIAN." — The most notable adornments of the West Lagoon were Proctor's "Indian" and "Cowboy," which pieces of statuary stood overlooking the lagoon from points near the Transportation Building. It was certainly fortunate that the work of producing the statuary around the main basin and lagoons was left to artists as thoroughly American in choice of theme and manner of treatment as Edward Kemeys and A. Phimister Proctor. By neither of them was anything merely common-place or abstract of idea attempted or accomplished. All was original and striking and all executed with the genius [...]
140. Picturesque World’s Fair – Interior of the India Building
INTERIOR OF THE INDIA BUILDING.— So great was the display of articles of sandal-wood in the interior of the India Building that the fragrance of the various objects always filled the air and added to the oriental flavor of the scene and the occasion, and very little of the walls could be seen, so profuse was the display of all kinds of East India goods. At one end of the single large room, lighted only from above, was an apartment where natives in their home garb served the tea being exploited by the company which paid for the building, [...]
139. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Pennsylvania Building
THE PENNSYLVANIA BUILDING.—Among the most conspicuous of the State Buildings in size and cost, that of Pennsylvania possessed an added interest because its front was an exact reproduction of that of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and because it contained the famous Liberty Bell. The edifice was in the Colonial style, of rectangular form, two stories in height, and occupied a ground space one hundred and ten by one hundred and sixty-six feet in area. Piazzas twenty feet wide surrounded the building. The outer walls, to the roof line, were of Philadelphia pressed brick. The height of the tower was [...]
Limited-time 1893 World’s Fair menu at Next Restaurant (Chicago)
The award-winning Next restaurant in Chicago’s West Loop explores gourmet cuisine with menus and dining experiences that change completely a few times a year. Their Spring 2022 epicurean offering is a World’s Fair menu that explores the world of impossible innovations. “Light bulbs and Ferris wheels. Confidence and gumption—the pillars to the global ingenuity of 1893.” For a visual sampling, check out their video. Next (953 W. Fulton Market in Chicago) offers prix fixe meals ($165–$275 per person) by reservation only.
June 17-18, 2022: Celebrate Olmsted 200 in Chicago
April 26, 2022, marks the bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, social reformer and visionary founder of American landscape architecture. In June, the Olmsted 200 celebration reaches Chicago with a Olmsted Bicentennial Gala from 7– 9 PM on Friday, June 17, at the Glessner House (1800 S Prairie Ave. in Chicago). On Saturday, June 18, at 10 AM, an "Inspired by Olmsted" carillon concert at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (5850 S. Woodlawn Avenue in Chicago) and the adjoining the Midway Plaisance will include the premier of a new work dedisated to the Olmsted legacy. The Olmsted 200 [...]
Devil Details: Someone “inspired and probably unexpected” to star in Hulu’s “The Devil in the White City”
Deadline’s recent interview with Jordan Helman, head of scripted content at Hulu, revealed a few tantalizing tidbits about the streaming service’s project, The Devil in the White City. He confirms that Sam Shaw is the showrunner, working “within a small army of producers.” Previous reports have this production team including Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Emma Koskoff, Jennifer Davisson, Rick Yorn, and Stacey Sher. Helman also confirms that sitting in the director’s chair will be Todd Field, whom he describes as “one of the great American filmmakers.” Field has just over a dozen directing credits, including In the Bedroom (2001) [...]
138. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Guatemala Building
THE GUATEMALA BUILDING.—Built in the Spanish style and tastefully though not profusely decorated, the Guatemala Building presented a most attractive frontage from its site at the east end of the North Pond. The edifice was one hundred and eleven feet square, and two stories in height, and the corners were embellished by graceful towers twenty-three feet in diameter. The entire height of the towers was sixty-five feet, and in two of them were staircases giving access to the roof which formed a terrace about a great central court. This court in the center of the building was a feature [...]
The Master Mind of the 1893 World’s Fair
Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted—landscape architect, author, conservationist, and social activist. His ambitious designs transformed Jackson Park in Chicago into the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The excerpt below, from the November 1, 1893, issue of the Chicago Inter Ocean newspaper, is quick to credit the many important architects who together designed the fairgrounds. From Olmsted’s seminal vision, though, emerged the Dream City on Lake Michigan. [The article has been lightly formatted and edited for standard capitalization and punctuation.] For more information on the bicentennial celebration of FLO, [...]