Reprinters Row
A collection of reprinted texts and images
from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
Baggage for 1893 World’s Fair Visitors
In our modern era of frustrating travel, here is a reminder that the more things change the more they stay the same. This complicated advice for train travelers heading to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago comes from April 1893 issue of The Station Agent: “General Passenger Agent De Haven of the Chicago & West Michigan and Detroit, Lansing & Northern railroads has issued a poster to all [...]
Daniel Burnham on Architecture and “The Intellectual Reflex of the Exposition”
What influence would the White City erected for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago likely have on the development of American architecture in the years to come? Pondering that question, architectural critic Montgomery Schuyler noted that Daniel Burnham, Director of Works for the Columbian Exposition, offered a vision that was able to “crystallize into a lucid and specific form a general hazy expectation.” Burnham’s made his comments in this [...]
142. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Germania Fountain
THE GERMANIA FOUNTAIN.—Just to the north of the German Building, and showing charmingly against a background of trees which intervened between it and structures to the west, was what was known as the Germania Fountain, a work of art forming part of the German showing. Germania, standing upon a supported globe, held aloft a lamp, while typical additional figures made an effective grouping. . The globe was upheld by [...]
141. Picturesque World’s Fair – Proctor’s Noted Statue of “The Indian”
PROCTOR'S NOTED STATUE OF "THE INDIAN." — The most notable adornments of the West Lagoon were Proctor's "Indian" and "Cowboy," which pieces of statuary stood overlooking the lagoon from points near the Transportation Building. It was certainly fortunate that the work of producing the statuary around the main basin and lagoons was left to artists as thoroughly American in choice of theme and manner of treatment as Edward Kemeys [...]
140. Picturesque World’s Fair – Interior of the India Building
INTERIOR OF THE INDIA BUILDING.— So great was the display of articles of sandal-wood in the interior of the India Building that the fragrance of the various objects always filled the air and added to the oriental flavor of the scene and the occasion, and very little of the walls could be seen, so profuse was the display of all kinds of East India goods. At one end of [...]
139. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Pennsylvania
THE PENNSYLVANIA BUILDING.—Among the most conspicuous of the State Buildings in size and cost, that of Pennsylvania possessed an added interest because its front was an exact reproduction of that of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and because it contained the famous Liberty Bell. The edifice was in the Colonial style, of rectangular form, two stories in height, and occupied a ground space one hundred and ten by one hundred [...]
138. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Guatemala Building
THE GUATEMALA BUILDING.—Built in the Spanish style and tastefully though not profusely decorated, the Guatemala Building presented a most attractive frontage from its site at the east end of the North Pond. The edifice was one hundred and eleven feet square, and two stories in height, and the corners were embellished by graceful towers twenty-three feet in diameter. The entire height of the towers was sixty-five feet, and in [...]
The Master Mind of the 1893 World’s Fair
Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted—landscape architect, author, conservationist, and social activist. His ambitious designs transformed Jackson Park in Chicago into the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The excerpt below, from the November 1, 1893, issue of the Chicago Inter Ocean newspaper, is quick to credit the many important architects who together designed the fairgrounds. From Olmsted’s seminal vision, [...]
137. Picturesque World’s Fair – North and West from the Government Building
NORTH AND WEST FROM THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING.—From the dome of the Government Building the prospect north and west afforded as much variety as could be had from any point of observation of the Fair Grounds, since in other directions the view was either much shorter or was cut off by the huge department structures. The illustration shows the Fisheries in the foreground, the details of the south façade of [...]
The Girl Who Walked on a Monster’s Belt
“The Fair, considered as an electrical exposition only, would be well worthy the attention of the world.” —Murat Halstead, “Electricity at the Fair” Cosmopolitan, September 1893. A great central power plant inside of Machinery Hall powered most of the incandescent lamps, arc lamps, motors, and water pumps for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Capable of delivering more than 12,000 horsepower (9480 kilowatts), this was not only—by far—the largest power [...]
REPRINT SERIES
Picturesque World’s Fair: An Elaborate Collection of Colored Views (W. B. Conkey Company. 1894)