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176. Picturesque World’s Fair – An Eskimo Boy
AN ESKIMO BOY.--Not the least interesting objects in the village of the Eskimos, and certainly the most attractive, were the youngsters who rolled about like the seals in the waters of their own cold country. One of the young gentlemen of the group became an exceedingly popular personage with visitors to the odd village of odd people. He had reached the age of about four years, but his general [...]
The Swami and the Street Sign
Chicago Public Radio’s Curious City, the long-running series on WBEZ that answers questions from listeners about the city and region, has a episode that does a deep dive into one of the most revered visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair. Hindus around the world learn about Swami Vivekananda’s visit to Chicago and his public lectures during the World’s Parliament of Religions in September 1893. The Curious City episode “Why [...]
1893 World’s Fair Official Cycling Route from Biketropolis
Although wheelmen (with a few notable exceptions) were forbidden from cycling through the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Fair, bicyclists today have much to discover as they ride through Jackson Park. The history of the great exposition is hiding in plain sight, thanks to a new cycling route guide published by Biketropolis®. In collaboration with Arcadia Publishing, True North Cafe, Two Wheel Gear®, and Ride With GPS, Biketropolis has [...]
“Referencing Columbiana” by Steve A. Starlust
Columbian Exposition collectors can rejoice over a new reference book that provides invaluable information about commemorative coins, medals, badges and ribbons, and other related souvenirs from the 1893 World’s Fair. The handsome volume Referencing Columbiana compiled by Steve A. Starlust belongs on any Columbian Exposition bookshelf. The 305-page book, which bears the title World’s Columbian Exposition Chicago on the cover (there is no title page), builds upon and greatly [...]
A Columbian Exposition Enthusiast’s Guide to HBO’s “The Gilded Age”
Viewers of The Gilded Age on HBO Max meet several real historical figures mingling with a cast of colorful fictional characters. Although the series takes place in 1882–84, ten years before the Columbian Exposition will open in Chicago, The Gilded Age features several of the designers, participants, and visitors associated with the 1893 World’s Fair. [This post will be updated as new episodes are released.] Jane Addams Social activist [...]
300 Minutes at the World’s Columbian Exposition
Tim Donnohue of Knoxville, Tennessee, really wanted to see the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, but he was very short on time. Mr. Donnohue reportedly left town at noon on Saturday, October 21, and travelled to Chicago. He spent five hours taking in as much as possible of the city and the Columbian Exposition fairgrounds—including three rides on the Ferris Wheel. Those rides alone occupied sixty minutes of his [...]
179 Days at the World’s Columbian Exposition
“I have made up my mind that six months is too short a time for a man to see and study the Fair,” announced Mr. Thomas Carhart in May of 1893. The wealthy Englishman had come to Chicago to squeeze every possible moment out of the great Columbian Exposition. He planned to visit the fairgrounds in Jackson Park every day for the six months the Fair was open! Mr. [...]
175. Picturesque World’s Fair – Canoes on Transportation Day
CANOES ON TRANSPORTATION DAY—Transportation Day was a great day all over the Fair grounds, not merely when the aristocratic blooded horses, with modern turn-outs, jostled lumbering camels and reindeer, and when an ox hitched to a rude cart might have nearly run over a palanquin, but upon the ponds and bayous and the canals, where the odd craft of different races swept along together in fantastic contrast. The scene [...]
Betsy Ross Cleans Up at the 1893 World’s Fair
Without the flag, there would be no Flag Day. And without Betsy Ross, there would be no flag (or so the story goes). Among abundance of eye-catching exhibits inside the Agricultural Building of the 1893 World’s Fair stood a unusual sculpture of the purported mother of the American flag. The Agricultural Building housed many wonderous exhibits of the varied output of farms and the amazing products of a [...]
Fun Facts about Pope Leo and the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago
Chicago is losing its Malört over the announcement that Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected to be the first pope from the United States. Born in the Bronzeville neighborhood and raised in Chicago’s south suburbs, Prevost has taken the name Leo XIV. Back in 1893, Pope Leo XIII had a varied—and rather unusual—presence at the World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago’s Jackson Park. Pope Leo XIII loaned many Vatican treasures [...]
May 29–Jun. 1, 2025: Chicago Steampunk Exposition
What do you get when you combine a World’s Fair with retro-futuristic imagination? The Chicago Steampunk Exposition! For 2025, the convention theme of “The Curse of Cthulhu” will add a dimension of Lovecraftian weird horror. Throughout the weekend of May 29–June 1, 2025, the Expo will host talks, workshops, activities, and shopping for steampunk enthusiasts who enjoy imagining an alternate World’s Columbian Exposition with Gilded Age gothic adventures. The [...]
174. Picturesque World’s Fair – Interior of the Woman’s Building
INTERIOR OF THE WOMAN'S BUILDING. The interior of the Woman's Building, viewed from the gallery at either end, presented an exceedingly attractive appearance. The great space was admirably lighted from the skylight over the central court, and the objects on display were visible with exceptional distinctness. Very curious and interesting were many these objects, character of which may be at least vaguely discerned in the illustration. A feature of [...]
173. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Idaho Building
THE IDAHO BUILDING.—So attractive and so striking in appearance was the building erected in the Exposition grounds by the Territory of Idaho that before the Fair closed it was sold to an English club to be transported across the ocean and re-erected as a shooting box. The structure reminded one of a Swiss chalet, but was intended in its style and composition to indicate the varied resources of the [...]
Apr. 22, 2025: “Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” (Carol Stream, IL)
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 Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Carol Stream, Illinois. In this entertaining presentation, Cindy will take you on a tour of the fairgrounds using vintage photographs, maps, and artwork. Which building had the most ostentatious dome? What in the world [...]
The biggest building in the world was at the 1893 Columbian Exposition
How big was the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building at the 1893 World’s Fair? The MLAB was the largest building in the world and the largest roofed building that had ever erected at that time. The south front of the Manufactures Building at the 1893 World’s Fair. At 787 feet wide, this is the shorter end of the mammoth structure. [Image from Picturesque World’s Fair (W.B. Conkey, 1894); [...]
Apr. 26, 2025: Help clean up Jackson Park (Chicago)
Jackson Park is hallowed ground for 1893 World’s Fair enthusiasts. To honor Earth Day, Friends of the Parks is sponsoring a clean-up day in Jackson Park and other Chicago parks on Saturday, April 26, 2025. This marks the 40th anniversary of Friends of the Parks’ citywide Earth Day cleanups. Whether you love spending time in Jackson Park or have never before visited, we invite you to join us on [...]
Apr. 8, 2025: “Perspective of Wonder: A Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” (Hinsdale, IL)
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 Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Hinsdale, Illinois. In this entertaining presentation, Cindy will take you on a tour of the fairgrounds using vintage photographs, maps, and artwork. Which building had the most ostentatious dome? What in the world is [...]
Mar. 27–29, 2025: World’s Fair Women in “The Mammy Project” (Blue Lake, CA)
Nancy Green and Ida B. Wells, two women who played important and diverse roles in the 1893 World’s Fair, are the subject of a performance by Michelle Matlock playing in Blue Lake, CA, on Mar. 27–29, 2025. The Mammy Project, written and performed by Michelle Matlock, unearths the gritty truth behind the century-old icon of Aunt Jemima. This bandanna-wearing superstar of minstrel shows, Hollywood epics, and the breakfast nook [...]
The Myth of Marble: A Roman Statue of “Minerva” at the 1893 World’s Fair
Chicago is abuzz about “Myth and Marble,” a fabulous new exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago running from March 15 to June 29, 2025. On display are fifty-eight magnificent sculptures of gods and goddesses, emperors and funerary monuments. All come from the Torlonia Collection of Rome, one of the world’s finest private collections of Greco-Roman antiquities. The artwork has been out of the public view for most of [...]
Apr. 12, 2025: “Daniel Burnham’s Chicago” (Glen Ellyn, IL)
He was one of Chicago’s greatest architects and served as Director of Works for the 1893 World’s Fair. Daniel Burnham will be portrayed by Terry Lynch in a presentation on April 12, 2025, sponsored by the Glen Ellyn Historical Society. Guests of “Daniel Burnham’s Chicago – A Dramatic Portrayal by Terry Lynch” will experience the grandeur of the Columbian Exposition and learn about its origins, exhibits, and the people [...]