Columbian Exposition News
The enduring legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair in modern scholarship, education, the arts, creative products, preservation, and other events.
RECENT POSTS ABOUT COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION NEWS
A satirical podcast about the 1893 World’s Fair?
Jeopardy! clues relating to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition (such as ones about belly dancing and promotional pickle pins, the Field Columbian Museum, and Fannie Barrier Williams) are always a fun surprise. On the April 18, 2023, episode, returning champion Dan Ciarrocchi mentioned that he is writing a scripted podcast that is a satirical look at the 1893 World’s Fair. We can't wait to hear it! [...]
White City dark again as “Devil” departs Hulu
In various stages of development for twenty years, the screen adaptation of Erik Larson’s 2003 best-selling book about the Columbian Exposition, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, has blown another fuse. In the wake of leading man Keanu Reeves and director Todd Field dropping out of the drama last October, Hulu has pulled the plug on the production on [...]
Come on Feel the Fair! Illinois, the musical
“Oh, great White City I've got the adequate committee Where have your walls gone? I think about it now.” —Sufjan Stevens Come on Feel the Fair! A stage musical adaptation of Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed 2005 concept album Illinois, which features a song about the 1893 World’s Fair, will open this summer. The lyrics in Illinois reference iconic persons, places, and events related to the Prairie State. In addition to [...]
How the Myth of the American Frontier Got Its Start at the 1893 World’s Fair
"It was getting late. The lecture hall was stifling from a day of blazing sun, which had tormented the throngs visiting the nearby Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition, a carnival of never-before-seen wonders, like a fully illuminated electric city and George Ferris’ 264-foot-tall rotating observation wheel. Many of the hundred or so historians attending the conference, a meeting of the American Historical Association (AHA), were dazed and dusty from an [...]
Historic Woman from the 1893 World’s Fair on “Jeopardy!”
Jeopardy! featured an important figure from the 1893 World's Fair on their show #8766 (airing on Monday, December 19, 2022). The category of "Famous Woman" in the Double Jeopardy round included the answer: "In 1893, activist Fannie Barrier Williams successfully fought for Black inclusion at this city's Columbian Exposition." The correct question "What is Chicago?" required no knowledge of Williams and escaped all three contestants. Fannie Barrier Williams (1855–1944) was [...]
Dec. 2, 2022 – Feb. 1, 2023: A Columbian Exposition quilt on display (Woodland, CA)
“Expressions in Cloth,” a new exhibition at YoloArts’ Gallery 625 in Woodland, California, includes a beautiful quilt by artist Sherry Werum that features images inspired by the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. World's Fair enthusiasts might see Louis Sullivan's iconic Golden Door entrance to the Transporation Building or William Le Baron Jenney's stunning glass dome of the Horticultural Building among Werum's intricate design. “Expressions in Cloth” runs from [...]
A diary from the 1893 World’s Fair
Sally MacNamara Ivey "has read more than 10,000 unpublished diaries and spent 35 years collecting them.... Whenever MacNamara Ivey has had pocket change, it’s gone to purchasing diaries. Back in the late ’90s, when she and her husband were raising four kids with the money she brought in waiting tables and he made working at the local mill, she bought a diary on layaway for $500 (about $900 today). [...]
Season’s Readings: 2022 Books about the World’s Columbian Exposition
2022 brought several additions to the World’s Columbian Exposition bookshelf.
“World’s Fair Souvenir Cook Book” advice for Thanksgiving
Utah Public Radio’s “Eating the Past: Old-time Advice on Table Manners” explores a culinary contribution from the 1893 World’s Fair Board of Lady Managers. Dr. Tammy Proctor recently dug out a copy of The 'Home Queen' World's Fair Souvenir Cook Book (George F. Cram, 1893) from Utah State University’s Merrill-Cazier Library. “The emphasis on Progress with a capital ‘P’ at the fair,” Proctor observes, “itself translates well to this [...]
A big statement from Norway for the 1893 World’s Fair
"Constructed for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Norway building offered its namesake country a means of promoting their culture and rich history in the U.S. For many newly-arrived Norwegian immigrants, the Jackson Park building also stood as a testament to their belonging in America." Read more at "Hyde Park Stories: The Norway Building" by Patricia L. Morse in the Hyde Park Herald (posted November 16, 2022). [...]