RECENT POSTS
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World’sFairChicago1893.com
Sep. 14, 2023 – Jan. 13, 2024: Harriet Monroe & the Open Door (Chicago)
The temporary exhibition Harriet Monroe & the Open Door at the Poetry Foundation in Chicago showcases the fascinating line connecting today’s world-renowned poetry magazine back to a poem written for the 1893 World’s Fair. Archival documents and photographs on display with accompanying descriptive texts tell the story of Harriet Monroe, her “Columbian Ode” poem, and the landmark copyright lawsuit that helped launch Poetry magazine. Part of the exhibition [...]
An Awful Memory from Chicago Day, 1893
Described as “the greatest gathering in history” and the “grandest spectacle in modern times,” Chicago Day smashed all attendance figures at the 1893 World's Fair. On October 9, over three-quarters of a million of people gathered on the fairgrounds to commemorate the twenty-second anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and to celebrate the great city that emerged from the flames to host the Columbian Exposition. One float [...]
“No Holmes Barred!” A World’s Fair Radio Show Podcast
History, hilarity, and histrionics characterize a new satirical radio-show podcast about the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. No Holmes Barred! is written, directed, and produced by Daniel Ciarrocchi (you may have seen him on Jeopardy!) and tells the dual stories of Daniel Burnham’s construction of the fairgrounds in Jackson Park and the bloody trail of murderer H. H. Holmes in nearby Englewood. If this premise sounds like a certain [...]
Nov. 12, 2023: “Collectibles from Chicago’s Two World’s Fairs” (Chicago)
The Glessner House in Chicago is hosting an event showcasing collections from both the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the 1933-34 Century of Progress. On Sunday, November 12, 2023, "Collectibles from Chicago's Two World's Fairs" will bring together several World's Fair collectors who will exhibit a portion of their collections, ranging from guidebooks, postcards, tickets, and commemorative coins to wall hangings, glass and ceramic tchotchkes, plates, and silver spoons. [...]
This Side Up: The OTHER Man Who Mailed Himself to the Midway in a Box
[Continued from Part 1 of this article.] Millions of visitors poured into Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair. They arrived by train, boat, carriage, wagon, horseback, bicycle, and several even walked. A few others chose, well … less conventional modes of transport. For example, Herman Zeitung—the Austrian tailor, small in stature but big in bravery—mailed himself C.O.D. to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. When he popped out of his [...]
This Side Up: The Man Who Mailed Himself to the Midway in a Box
Despite having nearly 120,000 people enter the fairgrounds on Friday, July 28, this was the slowest day of the week at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The day before had been a busy one, with Commercial Travelers and German Turners pouring into the Chicago fair for their "special days." Among the few events on Friday was the opening of an interesting package in the Woman’s Building. The box contained [...]
Oct 19-20, 2023: “The Art of Dying: The Death in the Columbian Exposition” (Lombard, IL)
The Lombard Historical Society will explore some devilry in the White City at an event titled "The Art of Dying: The Death in the Columbian Exposition." Guests will learn about the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the murders of H. H. Holmes in the context of Lombard, Illinois. Tours begin at 6, 7, and 8 pm on Thursday, October 19 and Friday, October 20, 2023 at the Lombard Historical [...]
Nov. 11, 2023: “Perspective of Wonder” talk by Cindy Angell Keeling (Chicago)
“Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” By Cindy Angell Keeling Saturday, November 11, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Chicago Public Library, Uptown Branch (929 W. Buena Ave.) Author Cindy Angell Keeling will offer a fascinating introduction to the spectacular Chicago World’s Fair in her presentation "Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition" on Saturday, November 11, 2023. In this entertaining presentation, Cindy [...]
The Humboldt County display in the California State Building at the 1893 World’s Fair
Glen Nash, “The Humboldt Historian,” shares a fascinating look at the Humboldt County display inside the California State Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. His article “The County’s Exhibition at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair Sounds Spectacular, but Putting it Together and Getting it Back Was Kind of a Pain in the Ass” appears on the Lost Coast Outpost.
156. Picturesque World’s Fair – Interior View in Old Vienna
INTERIOR VIEW IN OLD VIENNA.—The memory of hours passed in the Austrian Village, or reproduction of a portion of the Vienna of a hundred and fifty years ago, is, perhaps, what will linger longest in the minds of those who "did" the Plaisance thoroughly during the past Exposition. The quaint, bustling scene presented on every side, the suppers in the open air and the delicious music afforded, combined to [...]
“What shall I wear at the World’s Fair in Chicago?”
If you were planning a trip to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, you might ask yourself is “What should I wear?” Marissa Croft of the Chicago History Museum investigates that question with an interesting and insightful blog post about the wide variety of dress at the Fair. Check out “What shall I wear at the World’s Fair in Chicago?” Dressed up for a stroll along the south end of [...]
“One Unmitigated Nightmare of Horror”—Crowds in Chicago for the 1893 World’s Fair
State Street, that great street in the todd’ling town of Chicago, is in need of revitalization. Urban planners aim to bring more people back to “Chicago’s front porch.” Back in 1893, this was one of the busiest throughfares in the world, and many walking through the frenetic business district were visitors to the World’s Fair. Not all the locals were happy about the thick crowds, as recorded in the [...]
The Flying Dutchman Enlightens the World’s Fair of 1893
Visitors to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago who found their way into the southwest corner of the Agricultural Building Annex encountered a most curious figure. Rising above a display of farm plows stood a twelve-foot-tall, pot-bellied man flamboyantly dressed and having a pair of huge wings. He stood on a tree stump holding a luminous ear of corn, striking a pose that lampooned the famous Liberty Enlightening [...]
Sep. 12, 2023: “Restoring Freya” (Geneva, IL)
The Geneva History Museum will offer a presentation on "Restoring Freya" on Tuesday, September 12 from 12- 1 pm. Freya is the new name for the newly restored dragon head and tail of the original Viking ship that sailed from Norway to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Participants will learn all about the restoration process used by Third Coast Conservation on the century-old artifact. The Viking ship dragon [...]
Oct. 19, 2023: “Harriet Monroe & the Open Door” (Chicago and online)
The Newberry Library in Chicago will host a lecture on 1893 World’s Fair poet Harriet Monroe on October 19, 2023. Liesl Olson, Director of the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum and former Director of Chicago Studies at the Newberry Library, will present “Harriet Monroe & the Open Door.” Harriet Monroe's extraordinary life and work gave the world one of the most exciting and enduring magazines devoted to “the best English [...]
Now We Are Six
Six years ago, we started this website to share our interest in the 1893 World's Fair with others. We have greatly enjoyed populating the site with research articles, historic images, announcements, and occasional amusements. Most of all, we've been honored hearing from researchers, collectors, curators, archivists, authors, artists, and curious readers who find this site useful. Looking back six years ... Our most-read post is "Death of the Republic: [...]
Sep. 9, 2023: “Swami Vivekananda’s 1893 Sojourn in Chicago” (Chicago)
The Art Institute of Chicago will host a presentation on "The Monk, the World’s Parliament, and the Museum—Swami ’s 1893 Sojourn in Chicago" on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Curator Dr. Madhuvanti Ghose will discuss the time in 1893 when an unknown Hindu monk, Swami Vivekananda, travelled from Calcutta to Chicago to deliver a speech at the inaugural session of the World’s Parliament of Religions held at The World's Columbian [...]
Sep. 21, 2023: “Women’s Work at the 1893 World’s Fair” (Evanston, IL)
The Evanston History Center will host a presentation on "Women’s Work at the 1893 World’s Fair" by Diane Dillon on Thursday, September 21, 2023, at 7 pm. Her presentation will explore the range of contributions women made to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, including the work of Bertha Palmer and the Board of Lady Managers, the protest of Ida B. Wells, the design of the Woman’s Building [...]
Oct 6-7, 2023: “The White City: An Audible Exhibition on H. H. Holmes, Murderer” (Chicago)
The Glessner House in Chicago will host the first staged reading of The White City: An Audible Exhibition on H. H. Holmes, Murderer on October 6 and 7, 2023. Theater in the Dark presents playwright Rick Kinnebrew’s captivating examination of one of the late 19th century’s most notorious characters. Directed by Corey Bradberry and presented in the style of classic radio dramas of the 1930s and 1940s, the production [...]
155. Picturesque World’s Fair – Entrance to the German Castle
ENTRANCE TO THE GERMAN CASTLE.--The entrance to the German Castle in the German Village, in the Midway Plainance, was the part of that structure which most recalled to mind a castle of the medieval barons, who had such particularly good times when the Emperor would let them alone and when raids upon their neighbors were always exciting and sometimes profitable. The moat was not very wide nor very deep; [...]