RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
94. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Obelisk and Southern Colonnade
THE OBELISK AND SOUTHERN COLONNADE.—A fitting termination made to the view south on the South Canal was formed by the Southern Colonnade with the Obelisk in front. The Obelisk was history repeated in stone, or at least in its imitation, for it was a reproduction of the famous Cleopatra's needle, the original of which, thousands of years old, was presented by the Khedive of Egypt to the United States and is now a prominent object in Central Park, in New York City. The Obelisk stood on a finely carved pedestal reached by a circle of steps descending to the [...]
Mar. 3, 2020: World’s Fair Auction #36 closes
Columbian Exposition collectors may be interested in World’s Fair Auction #36, now open for preview. Online bidding closes on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. The auction catalog can be viewed at: http://www.worldsfairauction.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi. Lots 22 through 59 are items related to the 1893 World’s Fair, and include several products commemorating various building of the White City: a handsome powder jar made of milk glass and featuring a color image of an unusual vista of the Administration Building. a rare Parker Brothers "World's Fair Picture Puzzle" complete with 23 large jigsaw pieces in original box. a hand-written letter from a visitor on [...]
CANCELLED Mar. 19, 2020: “The Archaeology of Garbage and Consumerism at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair” Urban History Seminar (Chicago History Museum) GalleryCANCELLED Mar. 19, 2020: “The Archaeology of Garbage and Consumerism at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair” Urban History Seminar (Chicago History Museum)
CANCELLED Mar. 19, 2020: “The Archaeology of Garbage and Consumerism at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair” Urban History Seminar (Chicago History Museum)
The Chicago History Museum's Urban History Seminar on March 19, 2020, will be on “The Archaeology of Garbage and Consumerism at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair." Rebecca Graff, associate professor of anthropology at Lake Forest College (IL), will offer a scholarly presentation, followed by lively discussion. Reception with cash bar at 5:45 p.m. Dinner at 6:15 p.m. Presentation at 7:00 p.m. Reservations required. $25, price includes dinner and parking. The Chicago History Museum is located at 1601 N. Clark Street in Chicago. The Ohio State Building, remnants of which lie buried in Jackson Park.
A Valentine’s Day Wish from Harriet Monroe
Here is a Valentine’s Day verse from Harriet Monroe’s Valyria and Other Poems (A.C. McClurg & Company, 1892), which she dedicated to the memory of architect John Wellborn Root. FOR JOHN PAUL Who sent roses on St. Valentine's day. Stay, sweet roses, stay but a day, Breathe me your souls ere your leaves decay. That over the air to my valentine I may waft him a perfume as rich as wine, That shall charm his desire to some dear repose As safe and as sweet as thy heart, white rose!
World’s Fair Merch from the Driehaus Museum
While visiting “Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany” at the Driehaus Museum, we spotted some 1893 World’s Fair products in the third-floor gift shop. A few came home with us. The iconic Ferris Wheel is featured on a T-shirt ($24) that comes in two colors, an enamel pin ($10) and a pair of earrings. Some Oolong Tea ($9.99) from the Oliver Pluff & Co. comes in a special tin featuring Charles Graham’s lovely artwork of the Midway Plaisance. The Driehaus Museum Store is located on the third floor of the Museum at 40 East Erie [...]
Sept. 7, 2019-Mar. 22, 2020: “Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany” at the Driehaus Museum (Chicago)
“Eternal Light: The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany” at the Driehaus Museum features items exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Feb. 8, 2020: Talking Trash About the 1893 World’s Fair (West Bend, WI)
The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend, Wisconsin, is hosting a talk on "The Vanishing City: Excavating the World’s Fair of 1893" on Saturday, February 8, 2020, from 2-3:30 pm. Rebecca Graff, associate professor of anthropology at Lake Forest College (IL), divulges what is hiding beneath the surface of Jackson Park. Professor Graff will discuss her archaeological and archival research focused on the Fair’s ephemeral “White City” and Midway Plaisance. The results of the excavation in Jackson Park revealed a robust archaeological signature of the extensive sanitary infrastructure of the Fair and, surprisingly, delicate plaster remains of [...]
Tiffany & Co. at the 1893 Columbian Exposition
“Tiffany & Co. at the 1893 Columbian Exposition” is the subject of an informative new article from Spencer Marks Ltd. “The unique masterpieces made by Tiffany and sent to the fair,” they write, “were designed and executed to be shown in a spectacular setting and sold to their very best clientele.” The Tiffany & Company and the Gorham Manufacturing Company displayed their stunning pieces in their gorgeous pavilion within the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. Tiffany and Gorham Exhibits in the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, [Image from Official Views of the World’s Columbian Exposition by Arnold, C. [...]
Chicago Food Hall Serves an 1893 World’s Fair Theme
Hayden Hall (333 S. Wabash Street) in Chicago features the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in both name and interior design.
Updates on Plans for the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park
The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition emerged from an idea to a White City on the lake in a little more than three years. Building the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) along one edge of Jackson Park certainly will take much longer—if it materializes in that location at all. “The Obama Foundation first announced its site in Jackson Park back in 2016 and hoped to break ground in late 2018 after gaining city approvals that spring.” reports Curbed Chicago. “Two years later, there is still no firm timeline for when the $500 million development will start construction—let alone open.” The impact [...]