RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
Eugene Field on the Apostle of Toadyism, Ward McAllister
The June 1, 1893, edition of the Boston Globe announced that “Ward McAllister arrived in Chicago yesterday.” The Brooklyn Citizen made the same claim, with some addional spice: “Ward McAllister arrived in Chicago and went at once to the Hotel Metropole. A rumor went around the hotel that Hobart Chatfield Chatfield-Taylor, who, as Spanish Consul, expects to become acquainted with the infanta, had become alarmed at the possibilities of social blunders had sent for Mr. McAllister to tell him how the thing was done in New York.” Had the Dictator of New York Society, the Autocrat of Gotham’s famous [...]
Sep. 10, 2025: “When Bathurst Shone on the World Stage” (Bathurst, Australia)
The Bathurst Library will host a talk on Australian participation in the 1893 World’s Fair on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Local artist and freelance archivist Kim Bagot-Hiller will discuss “When Bathurst Shone on the World Stage” from 2:30-3:30 PM. The Colony of New South Wales sent people and exhibits on a long journey over the water to share what the Colony had to offer, including displays from Bathurst. The event is free and open to the public at the Bathurst Library (70-78 Keppel Street in Bathurst). Part of the New South Wales exhibit in Horticultural Hall [Image from [...]
177. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Lagoon in front of the Art Palace
THE LAGOON IN FRONT OF THE ART PALACE.—It was not a very big sheet of water which lay just south of the Art Palace in the Exposition grounds. It was not imposing in dimensions, though it was by no means small, and it was not such a thoroughfare for launches and gondolas as were other lagoons and connecting straits, but it is doubtful if ever a sheet of water anywhere afforded fairer spectacles or if ever upon one of the same size occurred more pretty incidents of more importance. Here, under the shadow of the most beautiful of structures, [...]
A Garden of Architectural Splendors at the 1893 World’s Fair
Charles H. Dennis (1860–1943) served as the managing editor of the Chicago Record during the 1893 World’s Fair and likely penned these thoughts about the architectural wonders of the Exposition. Exhibits and Their Shelters Theoretically the prime object of a World's Fair is the exposition of the various products and the progress of man's handiwork. For purposes of protection and shelter these exhibits must be roofed over and inclosed; buildings must be constructed to house them, the housings being presumably incidental and ancillary to the things exhibited and serving as a means to an end. In previous fairs this [...]
Dissatisfied with the Court of Honor
Nearly all visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago were stopped in their tracks by the stunning beauty of the Court of Honor, the quadrangle of white palaces surrounding the Grand Basin. At least one visitor, however, had a gripe to pick, as reported (facetiously) by the Chicago Record: “It's really a beastly shame,” said the English visitor at the World's Fair. “It's a beastly shame the way this court of honor has been spoiled, you know.” “What's the matter with it? Architecture all right?” “Yes.” “Ain’t the color scheme good? Don't you like the statue?” “Certainly, but—” [...]
“A realized picture one will never forget”: Windsor Castle in Miniature at the Columbian Exposition
Visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair who entered the west portal of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building encountered a remarkable scene on their right. The striking display left no doubt that they had arrived in the exhibition space of Great Britain. A handsome art gallery wore a fanciful crown—a detailed miniature of Windsor Castle, forty-five feet long and eighteen feet wide. This intricate roof-top model enticed visitors to enter the Sunlight Soap pavilion sponsored by Messrs. Lever Brothers of England. A grand model of Windsor Castle crowned the rooftop of the Sunlight Soap pavilion from Lever Brothers [...]
Living Souvenirs of the World’s Fair of 1893
A visitor to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition sent a letter home to Augusta, Maine, reporting about many sights on the fairgrounds and in Chicago. Author “E. H. J.” concludes with these thoughts: “Our notebooks are full, our pocketbooks are empty, and we're going home to rest and think. We are tired. Not by the hot weather, or walking, or sight-seeing, but by the souvenirs. You can not buy anything in Chicago now that is not a ‘souvenir of the World’s Fair.’ I am going to have an auction when we get home. We have had World’s Fair drinks [...]
Aug. 8-Nov. 2, 2025: “Swedes at the Fair” (Swedish American Museum, Chicago)
The Swedish American Museum in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood is running a special exhibit on “Swedes at the Fair” from August 8 through November 2, 2025. The exhibit highlights Swedes and Swedish-American participation in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition with displays about the Swedish Pavilion, the Swedish Restaurant [including an image from our post "Tales from the Swedish Café"], Sweden Day, the American Union of Swedish Singers, the Royal Swedish Commission, Pehr Samuel Peterson’s tree nursery, the Lapland Village, and the Viking Ship. Special display items include a beautiful oil painting of the Swedish Villa at the World’s Columbian Exposition [...]
Robert G. Ingersoll on the 1893 World’s Fair
The inaugural issue of Jewell N. Halligan’s monthly periodical The Illustrated World’s Fair listed Robert Ingersoll as a contributor. Known as “the Great Agnostic” and dubbed “Pope Bob” by the Chicago press, Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–1899) was a famous lawyer and one of the foremost freethinkers of the era. “The editor of this journal has been personally promised an article from the pen of Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll,” wrote John McGovern in the October 1891 issue of Illustrated World’s Fair. “The great poet of our Republic has said emphatically that he ‘must do it right’—that is, the article on [...]
Displaying the Dead at the 1893 World’s Fair
The U.S. Government Building at the 1893 World’s Fair housed exhibits from the official host of the Exposition. A display from one federal agency was described as “the grotesque mingling with the horrible, and tender sentiment jostling with the ghastly evidences of tragedies.” [Image from Harper’s Weekly August 26, 1893.] Many visitors to the U.S. Government Building at 1893 World’s Fair claimed that one display from a federal agency was the most interesting exhibit. More engaging than the life-size panorama of the doomed Greeley expedition of Arctic explorers? More captivating than a diorama of California sea lions? More [...]