Columbian Exposition News
The enduring legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair in modern scholarship, education, the arts, creative products, preservation, and other events.
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Happy Thanksgiving to our readers!
We give thanks for readers of our website in 2019 and wish you all a pleasant holiday! "Don't look at me that way."
Ride the “Midwest Time Machine” to the 1893 World’s Fair
The Newberry Library of Chicago has launched a “Midwest Time Machine,” and one the destinations in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Four first-hand accounts--coming from letters, diaries, and rare books in the Newberry's collections—include a diary of Errett McLeod Graham as he visits the World’s Fair in Chicago between June 24 and July 17, 1893. Hop around a map of the fairgrounds to browse journal entries about smells the [...]
A trip back in time to the World’s Columbian Exposition with the Chicago Reader
In his article “A Trip Back in Time to the World’s Columbian Exposition," published in the November 20, 2019, issue of the Reader, Jeff Nichols has curated an interesting set of travel tips for visitors coming to Chicago for the 1893 World’s Fair. The suggestions, drawn from travel guidebooks and newspapers from around the world, include such sage advice as this, from the Washington Star: “There is nothing more [...]
A 360-Degree View of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (Sneak Peek)
The Chicago 00 Project has released a sneak peek of their upcoming an augmented and virtual reality experience, The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, to be published in early 2020. A partnership between the Chicago History Museum and filmmaker Geoffrey Alan Rhodes, the Chicago 00 Project has been producing a series of interactive multimedia experiences using historical images of important sites and events in Chicago. Their augmented reality app allows participant [...]
“The Current War” offers only a dimly lit view of the 1893 World’s Fair
The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago shines on the big screen, if only for a few minutes. The Current War (2017, released 2019) tells the story of the rancorous rivalry between inventor Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch), who adamantly championed direct current (DC) technologies to electrify and illuminate American cities, and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), who banked on alternating current (AC). The legendary “war of the currents” has these titans of [...]
Sean Masterson’s Magic from the Midway
A story about the Midway Plaisance of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition weaves its was through a Chicago magic show. Sean Masterson’s Timeless Magic blends expert sleight-of-hand trickery, quirky humor, and a personal detective story centering around a World’s Fair commemorative coin. Masterson shares with his audience his quest to discover the origin of his coin, taking us on a tour of several magicians who worked on the Midway [...]
World’s Columbian Exposition Secretary Howard O. Edmonds’ Presentation Set Sells for $21,600
The Howard O. Edmonds presentation set sold by Heritage Auctions in August 2019. [Image from Heritage Auctions.] Heritage Auctions offered a rare Columbian Exposition presentation set at their August 2019 “ANA World's Fair of Money US Coins Signature Auction.” The group consisting of a medal, pin and two ribbons that had once belonged to Howard O. Edmonds, secretary of the Exposition, sold for $21,600. The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation [...]
Tiffany Clock from the 1893 World’s Fair Sells for $150,000
(Left) The “Louis XV Clock” on display in the Tiffany Pavilion within the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building. [Image from Bancroft, Hubert Howe The Book of the Fair. The Bancroft Company, 1893.] (Right) The Tiffany clock today. Note the plain lower panel, compared to the image of the clock from 1893. [Image from Sotheby’s.] A magnificent clock manufactured by Tiffany & Company and exhibited at the 1893 World’s [...]
All the World is Beer
A HAPPY PROSPECT. Sing a song of wondrous things A city full of sights: Common folks and queens and kings Enjoying the delights. When the fair is opened, And all the world is here, We'll have a jolly time throughout the Exposition year. (from The Illustrated World’s Fair, May 1892) For a jolly time throughout the current year, consider a taste of “All the World is Here,” a new [...]
Night and Day Differences at the 1893 World’s Fair
The October 2019 release of the film The Current War will offer many people their first view of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. A recent trailer offered a tantalizing peak at how the special effects team has recreated the White City. In an attempt to provide some historical background, BBC History recently published an article on the “real history” of the World’s Fair in Chicago that included this description of the [...]