RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
Sept. 1-30, 2018 World’s Fair Diorama at The Whistler (Chicago)
Natural history exhibits from the 1893 World’s Fair are on display in the front window of The Whistler, a bar in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, throughout the month of September. In celebration of our 125th anniversary, the Field Museum has lent the specimens from their original 1893 World’s Fair collection for the pop-up diorama. The Field and Whistler will team up for a series of “Science of Alcohol” discussion series, including “The Biology of Beer” (Sunday, Sept. 9, 6 p.m.), “Hard Stuff” about ancient brewing practices in Egypt and Peru (Tuesday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m.), and “Pickled” [...]
Oct. 6 & 7, 2018: Masks & Myths: Devils and Dancers from Sri Lanka (Chicago)
Mandala, a South Asian performing arts organization in Chicago, will present Masks & Myths: Devils and Dancers from Sri Lanka on Saturday, October 6 at 7 pm and again on Sunday, October 7, at 3 pm at the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 East 60th St. in Chicago. Not since the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition have Sri Lankan dancers appeared as part of a highly visible international exchange. At that time, Kandyan artists performed in cages as so-called “devil dancers” at the Ceylon Pavilion on the fairgrounds. Dubbed “Devil Dancers,” Sri Lankan dance artists in the [...]
Oct. 4, 2018: “The Vanishing City: Excavating the 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 Thursday, October 4, 2018, the Newberry will host “The Vanishing City: Excavating the World's Fair”. Rebecca Graff, Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Chair of American Studies at Lake Forest College, will speak about her archeological and archival research focused on the ephemeral “White City” and Midway Plaisance of the 1893 Chicago Fair. The lecture runs from 6-7 pm in Ruggles Hall at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago. The event is free and [...]
Rolling-Chair Romances
Recruit eight-hundred young college men to the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and assign them to work as escorts for young, attractive women. The situation is fraught with danger, advised the Chicago Record in an article appearing in May of 1893. The annotated news story reprinted below aimed to expose the “rolling romances” formed at the World’s Fair between the wheel-chair pushers—young men with a “very attentive attitude”—and their pert payload. Victorian-era readers (even those in gritty Chicago) may have blushed when learning about the boys’ “way of leaning over the back of a chair in a [...]
Pushing for a Labor Strike at the Fair
The American labor movement and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition share an intertwined history. Labor Day became an official U.S. federal holiday in 1894. The official histories of the World’s Fair rarely recognize the back-breaking labor of the working class and largely immigrant labor force that carved the lagoon, constructed the White City, operated the concessions. The following article from the August 16, 1893 issue of the Chicago Inter Ocean, describes one instance of labor unrest at the Fair involving the college students who came to Chicago from across the country to serve as “rolling-chair boys” on the fairgrounds. [...]
Aug. 30, 2018 – Feb. 24, 2019: S.S. Columbus Whale Boat Exhibit at the North Point Lighthouse and Museum (Milwaukee)
"A Whale of a Ship" exhibit at the North Point Lighthouse and Museum in Milwaukee. The S.S. Christopher Columbus, the only whaleback ship ever built for passenger service, transported millions of visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair between downtown Chicago and the Columbian Exposition fairgrounds. The excursion liner operated on the Great Lakes through 1933. A new exhibit running from August 30, 2018, through February 24, 2019 at the North Point Lighthouse and Museum in Milwaukee explores the construction and operation of this historic boat. “The S.S. Christopher Columbus: A Whale of a Ship” features photographs of [...]
Sept. 8-Oct. 13, 2018: “Chicago’s Gold Coast Patronage and the 1893 World’s Fair” Tours (Chicago)
In conjunction with their exhibit “Treasures from the White City: The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893," the Richard H. Driehaus Museum in Chicago is offering a series of walking tours titled “Chicago's Gold Coast Patronage and the 1893 World's Fair” on Saturdays from 1-2:30 pm between September 8 to October 13. Led by Sally Kalmbach, the tour will explore Chicago’s famous Gold Coast neighborhood. Still one the most beautiful and architecturally rich neighborhoods in the city, the Gold Coast was once home to World’s Fair architect John Root (whose former home is still standing) and Potter and Bertha Palmer [...]
Inside the Administration Building Dome: “The Glorification of the Arts and Sciences” by William Dodge (Part I)
PART I: DECORATING THE DOME OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING “Fame comes only after death to those who have slaved during life.” —William de Leftwich Dodge The gem and crown of the Exposition Along with the Ferris Wheel and the Statue of the Republic, this magnificent structure is one of the most iconic images of the 1893 World’s Fair. With its grand and golden dome, the Administration Building towered over the fairgrounds from a commanding position of honor at the west end of the Grand Basin (Figure 1). Figure 1. A portion of Thomas Moran’s watercolor painting Chicago World's [...]
When the Brownies Visited the Columbian Exposition Fairgrounds
In the summer of 1892, the job of readying the fairgrounds of the World’s Columbian Exposition for its official dedication in October and then finishing work in time for the May 1, 1893, opening must have seemed an impossible task. Luckily, the magical Brownies were there to “lend a helping hand.” The Brownies are a band of adventurous and mischievous little characters created by writer and illustrator Palmer Cox (1840–1924) and based on Scottish folklore figures. Cox wrote that his Brownies, “like fairies and goblins, are imaginary little sprites, who are supposed to delight in harmless pranks and helpful [...]
Aug. 25, 2018: Historic Marker for the Norway Building
On Saturday August 25, 2018, an Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS) marker commemorating the Norway Building was dedicated in Jackson Park on the exact site where the building stood during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. A delegation of Norwegians traveled to the event from Orkdal—where the building was originally constructed and then returned to in 2017 as a museum and heritage center (see "The Long Journey of the Norway Building.") They were joined by members of the Norwegian-American community of Chicagoland, representatives of the Jackson Park Council, and World’s Fair enthusiasts for the dedication ceremony, held at noon under beautiful [...]