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Chicago Mayor Proposes that the U.S. Should Annex Canada
Saturday, August 19, 1893, was “British Empire Day” at the World’s Fair, and Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison offered some provocative words for the celebration. According to a visitor from Kansas, the mayor declared: “The World’s Exposition now in session is the greatest Fair the world has ever known. The United Sates is the greatest government of the Earth, and we propose to extend our boundaries by annexing Canada to [...]
United States Presidents Who Visited the 1893 World’s Fair
Greeting ex-President Benjamin Harrison when he visited the Indiana State Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago [Image from the Chicago Inter Ocean September 28, 1893.] Thirteen men who served as President of the United States lived at the time of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Five of them are known to have visited Chicago to see the Fair. Rutherford B. Hayes (1822–1893) 19th U.S. President [...]
“Below were the nations of the earth”: Riding the Ferris Wheel
James O’Shaughnessy, Jr. regularly reported on the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago for the St. Joseph Herald. In a letter dated June 24, he describes riding on the great Ferris Wheel, which had opened on the Midway Plaisance only three days earlier. Bumping into people from his Missouri hometown while on the Columbian Exposition fairgrounds would have been surprise enough, but doing so in the confines he describes is [...]
172. Picturesque World’s Fair – Camels and Drivers in Cairo Street
CAMELS AND DRIVERS IN CAIRO STREET.--There was no end to the variations of scenes presented by the camels and drivers in Cairo Street so often described, but in the actual life of the village never really monotonous. A very patient lot were the camels, else, under the abuse they received, both manual and verbal, they would have often turned upon their masters and beaten them down with their ungainly [...]
Are the lights back on at “Devil in the White City”?
A screen version of The Devil in the White City has flickered back to life. Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s project to adapt 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 been on-again, off-again for fifteen years. Hulu pulled the plug on a proposed miniseries in March of 2023, and all [...]
171. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Turkish Village
THE TURKISH VILLAGE.—Before the Columbian Exposition closed, the Turkish Village had become one of the prominent features of the Midway Plaisance, and drew a host of visitors. Its chief attractions were the theater and the bazaar, though the mosque, camps and cottages, the Persian tent, Cleopatra's needle and the serpentine column were among the curious things to see. Upon the stage of the theater the scenes presented were purely [...]
Jan. 25, 2025: “At Home at the Fair: Chicago Artists at the World’s Columbian Exposition” (Chicago)
The Vanderpoel Art Association will host a presentation “At Home at the Fair: Chicago Artists at the World’s Columbian Exposition” on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 1 p.m. Independent art historian Wendy Greenhouse will discuss what Chicago’s fine artists brought to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Although little noticed at the time and in posterity, Chicagoans contributed to the decoration of the exposition’s buildings and grounds and submitted significant [...]
“He was a prince of men” Daniel H. Burnham Remembers John W. Root
The death of architect John W. Root on January 15, 1891, delt a devastating blow to the Columbian Exposition—for which Root served as consulting architect—and even more so to his partner and close friend, Daniel H. Burnham. In the shock and grief from the sudden loss, Burnham offered these generous words on the life and legacy of John Root. It is hard to speak of him, for he had [...]
Jan 14, 2025: World’s Fair Auction #46 closes
World’s Fair Auction #46 is now open, and online bidding closes at 10:00 PM EST on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. The auction catalog can be viewed at: http://www.worldsfairauction.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi. Lots 6 through 36 are items related to the 1893 World’s Fair, and include: an invitation to the Dedication Day ceremonies; a china plate made in Germany depicting the Agricultural Building; a Marshall Field & Company silk showing the Court of [...]
1893 USPS Columbian Stamps Take a Licking
On January 2, 1893, the United States Postal Service released the first “commemorative” stamps in its history. Postmaster General John Wanamaker contracted the American Bank Note Company to produce the set of sixteen “Columbian” stamps, having denominations ranging from 1 cent to $5 and a total face value of $16.34. The souvenir set depicts various scenes of Christopher Columbus’ 1492 voyage and tied into the upcoming World’s Columbian Exposition [...]
Edward Kemeys and his Work on the Lions for the Art Institute
The pair of lions sculptures by Edward Kemeys that guard the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago are among the most recognized icons of the city. Their confusing origin story, often incorrectly connected to the 1893 World’s Fair, is described in Part 1 and Part 2 of “Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair?” A profile of Edward Kemeys, written when his [...]
Jackson Park Prints to Support Block Club Chicago
Block Club Chicago—a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan, and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods—has two gorgeous poster prints depicting remnants of the 1893 World’s Fair. The 6-by-20-inch limited-edition prints by Steve Shanabruch print are premiums for donors who purchase, gift, or upgrade a Block Club subscription by December 31, 2024. The poster for Hyde Park shows a lovely vista of the Wooded Island and the [...]
170. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Promenade and Beach
THE PROMENADE AND BEACH.—Without the famous Promenade along the shore of Lake Michigan, the Columbian Exposition would have lacked one of its attractive features. The great body of blue water, over which came cooling breezes in the hottest days of midsummer, rested the eye after the visitor had become sated, if that were possible, with the glories of the Fair, and the Promenade and Beach afforded a pleasant walking [...]
Happy Holidays from WorldsFairChicago1893!
We wish our readers a happy holiday season and best wishes in 2025!
World’s Fair beer on “Jeopardy!”
The December 2, 2024, episode of Jeopardy! offered contestants this $200 clue in the Jeopardy! round under the category of “Cheers to Beers”: After being honored at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, this brand added "Blue Ribbon" to its name. Evan Jones gave the correct answer of Pabst. The Pabst Brewing Company was awarded a medal at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. The blue ribbon was the company's [...]
Maps of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in the Library of Congress
Maps of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition fairgrounds offer a fascinating look at the evolving design of the Jackson Park campus and of the continuous changes during the run of the Fair. The Library of Congress holds many interesting specimens of World’s Fair cartography in the collection of the Geography and Map Division. Cynthia Smith’s blog post “Chicago in 1893: Selected Maps of the World’s Columbian Exposition” (December 4, [...]
2024 Columbian Exposition Gift Guide
Shopping for a gift to give a Columbian Exposition enthusiast? Or wanting to treat yourself to a little something during the holiday season? If so, check on these products relating to the 1893 World’s Fair. Note: We provide this announcement of new products without any compensation from vendors. Prices and availability subject to change. Add a Ferris Wheel to your tree with a World’s Fair Wooden Ornament from Transit [...]
Season’s Readings: 2024 Books about the World’s Columbian Exposition
Relatively few new books were added to the Columbian Exposition bookshelf this past year, but the small selection does cover several interesting topics. Three new academic works explore the Woman’s Building, model Haida Village, and Haiti Building and Frederick Douglass. A new children’s novel time-travels back to 1893. Note: We provide this announcement of new titles without any compensation from authors or publishers. We encourage shopping through independent local [...]
World’s Fair architects on “Jeopardy!”
The November 29, 2024, episode of Jeopardy! offered contestants this $400 clue in the Double Jeopardy! round under the category of “Do You Want to Build a Building?”: In 1873 Daniel Burnham & John Root started a firm to build together in this city; 2 decades later, Burnham built a fair there. Debbie Mercer, a retired special education teacher from (nearby) Oak Park, Illinois, gave the correct answer of [...]
Giving Thanks Before the 1893 World’s Fair Opens
On Thanksgiving 1892, Chicago was gearing up for the World’s Columbian Exposition, having just held the grand Dedication Day ceremonies on October 21 and the Inaugural Reception ball two days before that. Both events had showed that Chicago was ready to host the World’s Fair the following spring. What were these ten prominent Chicagoans thankful for? In this cartoon for the Chicago Inter Ocean Illustrated Supplement, artist Art Young [...]