RECENT POSTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION’S BUILDING, FAIRGROUNDS, EXHIBITS, EVENTS, AND PEOPLE.
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – Interior of the Javanese Theater (p. 30)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 30 INTERIOR OF THE JAVANESE THEATER.—Not a remarkable histrionic production was any play performed in the Javanese Theatre, but it was interesting, as was anything connected with these gentle people. Centrally in the quaint village was a structure, somewhat larger than the others, made of bamboo, thatched in the native style and illuminated at night. From this building emanated the sound of instruments strange to an American ear, deep-toned and monotonous, but soft enough and by no means unpleasant. It was a sort of liquid rumble. Even those who [...]
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS (p. 29)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 29 - NORTH LAGOON AND THE MERCHANT TAILORS' BUILDING NORTH LAGOON AND THE MERCHANT TAILORS' BUILDING.—It was hardly to be expected that a building erected by a special class of exhibitors would compare favorably in classic beauty of conception and in all architectural features With anything produced by the great artists of the Exposition, but such was certainly the case. The Merchant Tailors' Building was an architectural gem, inside and outside. However, a structure planned by Pericles and built under the supervision of Phidias should be something admirable, and those [...]
Meadows Museum displays BEACH AT PORTICI from 1893 World’s Fair
The Meadows Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas has announced their acquisition of Beach at Portici, a work that was on display at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and the final painting of 19th century Spanish artist Mariano Fortuny y Marsal (1838-1874). The American Exhibit of art occupied 24,000 square feet of space in the northeastern part of the Palace of Fine Arts at the Columbian Exposition. One section was devoted to foreign masterpieces owned by citizens of the United States. “Considered one of the most important international exhibitions of the 19th century," writes the Meadows [...]
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS (p. 28)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 28 THE SWEDISH BUILDING.—The remarkable style of architecture of the Swedish Building made it conspicuous among the group between the north pond and the lake, and it may be added, that the comment thus attracted was most favorable. The building stood on a triangular piece of ground, and to meet this exigency, in preparing the plans a hexagon was inscribed within the triangle and the shape of the structure made to conform to the pattern. The hexangular main hall was sixty feet across and the pitch of the cupola [...]
Chicago Tribune remembers the Midway Plaisance
Donkey Boys in the Streets of Cairo "Former President Barack Obama’s proposed parking garage wouldn’t have been the first oddball structure built on Chicago’s Midway Plaisance." writes Ron Grossman in the Chicago Tribune, referring to the now scuttled plans to build a parking lot for the Obama Presidential Center on the east end of the Midway. Grossman has dug through the Tribune's archive to excavate some interesting news stories from 1893 about the Midway, including "The donkey boys of Cairo went on strike" from July 7, 1893:
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS (p. 27)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 27 THE WOMAN'S BUILDING.—In no Exposition previous to that of 1893 was there a great building designed by women and devoted especially to a display of women's work. That the Columbian Exposition should have such a structure was a natural outcome of the movement which made a Board of Lady Managers with a voice in the control of certain branches of exhibition. The Woman's Building occupied an exceptionally fine position just west of the west lagoon, and with all advantage afforded for the display of its architectural features. Its [...]
Updates on the Obama Presidential Center plans for Jackson Park
January brought a flurry of planning activity for the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) along with heavy gusts of protest against the proposed development in Jackson Park. Both those favoring and those opposing the OPC proposal looked back to the 1893 World's Fair and invoked Frederick Law Olmsted's vision for the park after the Columbian Exposition to support their position. On January 8, the Obama Foundation released new design plans for OPC space on the west side of the lagoon. The most significant update was the elimination of a proposed above-ground parking structure on the eastern edge of the Midway Plaisance. The revised [...]
Illinois Executive Mansion to display artifacts of the 1893 World’s Fair
The Illinois Executive Mansion in Springfield, home to Illinois governors and their families since 1855, is undergoing a $15 Million renovation. Funded entirely by private donors, the restoration includes a renewed visitor’s center and historic exhibits, including a room displaying rare artifacts from the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago. Occupying the mansion during the Columbian Exposition was John Altgeld, the first Chicago resident and first foreign-born citizen to have been elected governor. He served from January 1893 to January 1897. The Illinois Bicentennial Commission has announced that “period bedroom suites on the second floor will highlight the Civil War Period [...]
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS (p. 26)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 26 A VIEW TOWARD THE NORTHWEST.—From the roof of the Government Building some of the finest views of certain portions of the World's Fair grounds were had, and, among these, the one here presented is not the least attractive. It is from the north end of the roof and taken toward the northwest, it must have been in the early morning, for scarcely a figure is visible on the walks or bridges and the water lies quiescent as a plate of glass. The west portion of the Fisheries and [...]
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS (p. 25)
PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 25 THE MACMONNIES FOUNTAIN FRONT.—This view, taken from a position in the Grand Basin, affords a just idea of the appearance of the Columbian Fountain from the east, and of the steps and terrace down which the water tumbled in a cascade when the fountain was in action. The Sea Horses of Commerce, which were represented as assisting the rowers in the propulsion of the barge, uprear themselves in front and on either side, and Fame, sounding her trumpet, is conspicuous on the vessel's bow. At the left, and [...]