RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
Remembering Robert Swain Peabody, architect of Machinery Hall
Robert Swain Peabody (February 22, 1845-September 23, 1917) died on this day at his summer home in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Cofounder of the renowned Boston architectural firm of Peabody & Stearns, he was one of the select east-coast architects invited by Daniel Burnham to contribute to the design of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Despite his pessimistic statement in 1891 about the prospect of constructing the World’s Fair on the rough grounds of Jackson Park (“It can’t be done”), his firm provided magnificent designs for Machinery Hall (also known as “The Palace of Mechanic Arts”) and the Massachusetts State [...]
“From the Midway” a new 1893 World’s Fair podcast from the Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune recently launched a new podcast series called “From the Midway” that explores the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition on its 125th anniversary year. Host Colleen Connolly, digital news editor at the Trib, promises to offer listeners stories about “the legacy left behind by the fair, including the remnants that can still be viewed today, the cultural legacy of the fair, the evolution of the Ferris wheel and products that made their debut at the exposition, and still exist today.” She delivers in the first episode, “Relics of the Fair” (12:25 min.), which reports on many notable remnants [...]
Oct. 5, 2018: “Art and Design Chicago” episode “If You Build It….” on WTTW (Chicago)
Public Television station WTTW-11 in Chicago will be broadcasting a new four-part documentary series called Art and Design Chicago beginning on October 5 with an episode about the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. “If You Build It....”, hosted by Museum of Contemporary Art curator Naomi Beck, will explore the 1893 World’s Fair and sculptor Lorado Taft through stories told by artist Dessa Kirk and Mark Pohlad, Associate Professor of History of Art and Architecture at DePaul University. This first episode also highlights the School of the Art Institute (SAIC), the Institute of Design, the Southside Community Arts Center, and the [...]
Oct. 20, 2018: “The Visual Culture the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893” seminar series at the Newberry Library (Chicago)
The Newberry Library’s Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World's Fair includes a series of rich programs about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The Newberry’s adult education History and Social Science seminar series will include a seminar on “The Visual Culture the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893” led by Diane Dillon on six Saturdays from 2-4 pm beginning on October 20 and ending on December 1 (with no meeting on November 24). The registration fee is $242 (with a 10% discount before August 31 at 4 pm) The seminar will meet at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago. [...]
Oct. 17, 2018: “Music at the 1893 World’s Fair” at the Newberry Library (Chicago)
The Newberry Library’s Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World's Fair includes a series of rich programs about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. On Wednesday, October 17, 2018, the Newberry will host “Music at the 1893 World's Fair”. A musical performance with accompanying commentary will feature music drawn from the Newberry’s extensive archive of World’s Columbian Exposition material, including pieces actually heard at the Fair in 1893 along with music that was sold as “souvenir” pieces. The performance runs from 6-7:30 pm in Ruggles Hall at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago. The event is free and [...]
Oct. 13, 2018: “All the World Is Here” at the Newberry Library (Chicago)
The Newberry Library’s Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World's Fair includes a series of rich programs about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. On Saturday, October 13, 2018, the Newberry will host “All the World Is Here”, a children’s program with music and stories for children, with the Lucky Trikes Storytelling Chamber Band. The event runs from 10-11:30 am in 1-Northwest at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is recommended. An illustration by Victoria Wickell-Stewart for The Mouse with Wheels in His Head by Gene Bradbury. [...]
Swami Vivekananda’s Speech at the Opening of the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago, September 11, 1893
Swami Vivekananda (center) and other East India Delegates to Congress of Religions at the 1893 World’s Fair. [Image from Pictorial Album and History of the World’s Fair and Midway (Harry T. Smith & Co., 1893).] Sisters and Brothers of America, It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions [...]
Sept 11, 2018: Remembering Swami Vivekananda’s Address at the 1893 World’s Fair
The state government of Bengal has declared a day of celebration for September 11, 2018, to honor the 125th anniversary of when Swami Vivekananda addressed the World’s Parliament of Religions at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Plans include seminars and symposia and a light and sound program at Swami Vivekananda's ancestral house. From September 7-9, thousands of delegates will gather for the second World Hindu Congress in Lombard, Illinois, with an objective of re-connecting Hindus worldwide with their common heritage and their spiritual link to people of all other denominations. Swami Vivekananda addressed the World’s Parliament of [...]
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – The Columbian Fountain (p. 63)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 63 – THE COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN THE COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN.—The Columbian Fountain was generally recognized as a triumph of artistic work on a splendid scale and beyond simplicity in its significance. The prominent object in the Court of Honor, directly in front of the Administration Building was a great circular basin, one hundred and fifty feet in diameter, in which Columbia sat in a Barge of State, drawn by sea-horses and rowed and guided by symbolical figures. At its eastern side the water of the fountain plunged in a circular cascade [...]
A look at some “Treasures from the White City” at the Driehaus Museum
Treasures from the White City: Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 opened on Saturday, September 8, at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum in Chicago, and we were the first visitors to see the exhibit. Treasures from the White City at the Driehaus Museum in Chicago The mansion is a breathtaking example of Gilded Age Chicago, and Treasures and the other current exhibit on Gilded Age portraits complement the gorgeous space. Two third-floor rooms showcase artifacts and art from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The Driehaus Museum occupies what was the Nickerson mansion in 1893. Display cases in [...]