RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – Columbian Fountain from the Rear (p. 80)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 80 – COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN FROM THE REAR COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN FROM THE REAR.— Father Time became a familiar figure during the Fair to the hosts who gathered about the music stands on the eastern part of the Grand Plaza, for the barge of the Columbian Fountain rode stern on to the plaza and Time was at the barge's helm. The illustration is an excellent one of the fountain from the rear and is as attractive, as were views taken from other points, of that splendid work of art. Grasping his [...]
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – Victoria House (p. 79)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 78 – VICTORIA HOUSE VICTORIA HOUSE.—Great Britain's Building, known as Victoria House, was hardly what might have been expected from the Mother Country. It cost $80,000, was not a particularly imposing structure, though by no means ungraceful, and was closed to the public most of the time. It occupied a charming position on the lake front, being the only structure east of the Lake Promenade. It was a Gothic, half timber house, in the style of Henry VIII., with overhanging gables and a tiled roof. Terra cotta was much [...]
“She has waxed bigger and uglier than ever.” An Englishman’s View of 1893 Chicago
Mr. Harry Hems of Exeter, England, submitted the following report on his return visit to Chicago for the opening of the 1893 World’s Fair. At the Exposition, he worked in the British section of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. His unflattering missive from May 15, 1893, about “the most dangerous town in the world” was reprinted in the June 1 issue of the Irish Builder. Let’s hope the rest of Mr. Hems’ time at the Chicago fair left a better impression. THE “WORLD'S FAIR," CHICAGO. The following, from the pen of Mr. Harry Hems, Exeter, appeared in the [...]
Happy Mother’s Day. Enjoy some Sunshine and Flowers.
Sunshine and Flowers by Irving R. Wiles was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair. [Image from Art of the World Illustrated in the paintings, statuary, and architecture of the World's Columbian Exposition Volume II, edited by Ripley Hitchcock (Appleton, 1893).] Mother and child are featured Sunshine and Flowers, a painting by American artist Irving Ramsey Wiles exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair. The oil painting hung on the north wall of Gallery 6 (United States section) in the Palace of Fine Arts. This description of the painter and composition comes from Art of the World Illustrated in the [...]
White City Walking Tours 2019
There is something magical about walking through Jackson Park and thinking about how this was the center of the world for six months in 1893. On the surface there is little left of the White City, except for the some of the main landscaping features and a rebuilt Art Palace that now serves as the Museum of Science and Industry. But with an expert tour guide, the grandeur of the Dream City on the Lake resurfaces in the mind’s eye. Ray Johnson has renewed his “Friends of the White City Tours” of Jackson Park for 2019, offered every Saturday from [...]
June 14, 2019: “The Devil’s Ball” at the Auditorium Theater (Chicago)
An evening inspired by the 1893 World’s Fair takes the stage at the historic Auditorium Theatre on Friday, June 14, 2019. The Auxiliary Board’s annual Devil’s Ball promises to be “a night of devilishly good fun” that features a premium open bar with beer, wine, and cocktails; heavy hors d’oeuvres featuring global cuisine; and dancing on the stage that has hosted artists and performers for 130 years. Designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, the Auditorium was the nation's largest structure when it opened in 1889. At the grand opening of the Auditorium Building, held on December 9, President Benjamin [...]
June 2, 2019: “When the World Came to Chicago: The 1893 Columbian Exposition” at Elmhurst History Museum
In conjunction with their new exhibit “Worlds of Wonder: Remembering Chicagoland's Amusement Parks” the Elmhurst History Museum is hosting an event focused on the 1893 World’s Fair. “When the World Came to Chicago: The 1893 Columbian Exposition” is offered at the Museum on June 2, 2019, from 2-3 p.m. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition is often credited with putting Chicago on the international map, and citizens have long been fascinated with the fascinating details of this amazing fair that welcomed more than 27 million visitors. Al Walavich, a lifelong Chicagoan, local historian, and collector will share stories about the planning, [...]
Louisville celebrates 1893 World’s Fair sculptor Enid Yandell
Louisville, Kentucky, is celebrating hometown sculptor Enid Yandell (1870-1934) with a series of events in 2019. The Louisville native, who studied under Auguste Rodin and Frederick MacMonnies, contributed several notable works to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Yandell sculpted the four caryatids supporting the railing of the roof garden of the Woman’s Building. She was selected for the job for Bertha Palmer, President of the Board of Lady Managers and herself a Kentucky native. The artist also created a statue of Daniel Boone for the Kentucky Building. After the Fair, the sculpture was cast in bronze and [...]
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – The Illinois Building (p. 78)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 77 – THE ILLINOIS BUILDING THE ILLINOIS BUILDING.—It is but just to say that the Illinois Building was not considered one of the beauties of the World's Fair. The great sum of $800,000 was appropriated by Illinois for World's Fair purposes, and of this sum a quarter of a million dollars was expended on the ambitious structure shown in the illustration, but it was not artistically speaking, worth the money. It had only the quality that all about it was consistent; it was not charming outside nor homelike inside. [...]
Restored Map of Jackson Park Before the 1893 World’s Fair
To celebrate the American Library Association’s Preservation Week (April 21-27, 2019), the Chicago Public Library has posted some remarkable photographs of their conservation work on a very fragile map of Jackson Park before the 1893 World’s Fair. Portion of an 1885 map showing the “General Plan for the Jackson Park Shore Protection.” [Image from the Chicago Public Library.] The “General Plan for the Jackson Park Shore Protection” was drawn for the South Park Commissioners in 1885, five years before the park was selected as the site to build the fairgrounds for the Columbian Exposition, which opened in May of [...]