Displays about the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition can be found in museums, restaurants, hotels, and other public spaces around the globe. Exhibits about the Fair are listed below, organized by location (alphabetically).
A separate pages lists vestiges from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
Plan your visit using our map of sites associated with the Fair.
UNITED STATES
CALIFORNIA
The West Coast Clock and Watch Museum in Vista, CA
COLORADO
Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave in Golden displays about the Wild West show outside the WCE
FLORIDA
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake has some decorative art in the Main Street U.S.A. shops, as an homage to Elias Disney’s time working for the WCE.
ILLINOIS
The Bahai Temple in Wilmette has wall displays explaining the introduction of the Bahai faith in the U.S. at the WCE.
The Berghoff restaurant in Chicago has a display of Berghoff’s Beer and the WCE and many WCE photos
The Chicago History Museum in Chicago has permanent displays of the Chicago Crossroads exhibit and the Court of Honor diorama.
FEW Spirits in Evanston is a distillery steeped in WCE imagery.
The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago has a large collection of artifacts that were on display at the 1893 Fair
The Glessner House Museum in Chicago has displays about the Glessners and the WCE
Harry’s Sandwich Shop in the historic Monadnock Building in Chicago is decorated with WCE photos.
Hayden Hall in Chicago features original art inspired by the WCE.
The Marquette Building in Chicago has a display about the WCE in the first-floor lobby
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago features the 999 Steam Locomotive and the Empire State Express
The Newberry Library in Chicago houses an extensive collection of WCE papers.
The Oak Park River Forest Museum in Oak Park houses displays a stock certificate from the WCE and an original painting associated with the Fair.
Osmium coffee bar in Chicago features a fantastic wall mural of a supernatural WCE Grand Basin.
The Union League Club in Chicago has a display case of WCE memorabilia in their first-floor lobby.
The Viking Ship (website) in Geneva is maintained by the Friends of the Viking Ship with a display of memorabilia from the WCE.
The Westclox Museum in Peru displays a clock sold at the WCE.
INDIANA
The Studebaker Museum in South Bend exhibits their 1893 Columbian Carriage along with wall displays about the Studebaker company at the WCE.
IOWA
The Buffalo Bill Museum (website) in Le Claire has a display of memorabilia from the Wild West Show next to the WCE
NEW YORK
The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning
The Richard Hunt Memorial in New York City honors the architect of the Administration Building at the WCE with a statue depicting a model of it.
PENNSYLVANIA
Hershey Story Museum in Hershey has exhibits about Milton Hershey and the WCE
The Pittsburgh Convention Center in Pittsburgh has a display about hometown engineer George Ferris.
WISCONSIN
Christopher Columbus Museum in Columbus
RECENT POSTS ABOUT WORLD’S FAIR EXHIBITS
Sept. 25, 2018: Columbian Exposition Symposium and Exhibit at BYU-Idaho
The McKay Library Special Collections of Brigham Young University-Idaho has mounted an exhibition “See the Fair; Exploring the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition 125 Years Later” during the Fall 2018 semester. With many items coming from the personal collection of Andrea Radke-Moss, a professor in the History Department, the exhibit showcases books, photos, stereoview cards, pamphlets, and other World’s Fair memorabilia, along with a display of period clothing. The exhibit runs from September 25 through December 14, 2018. BYU-Idaho is located in Rexburg, Idaho. On October 25-26, 2018, the university held a symposium on the 1893 World’s Fair. Faculty presentations [...]
Nov. 2, 2018-Jan. 5, 2020: “Brewing Up Chicago” at the Field Museum (Chicago)
The immigrant story behind Chicago’s rich beer history is the focus of a new exhibition that opens on November 2 at the Field Museum in Chicago. History and beer fans visiting Brewing Up Chicago: How Beer Transformed a City will travel through time to learn about Chicago’s founding in 1833 and the decades leading up to the World’s Columbian Exposition 60 years later. (Left) A medal given to the Pabst Brewing Company at the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. Adolphus Busch of St. Louis and Frederick Pabst of Milwaukee competed to have their beer declared the best at the [...]
Oct. 5 – Dec. 28, 2018: “Seeds of Time: Binghamton at the World’s Fair” at the Bundy Museum (Binghamton, NY)
The Bundy Museum of History and Art in Binghamton, New York, has opened a new exhibit titled “Seeds of Time: Binghamton at the World’s Fair” showcasing that city’s involvement with the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The museum notes: “The World’s Fair opened the door to the future, and schools and businesses representing Binghamton sent their best work to display. To commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Fair, this exhibit show’s Binghamton’s contributions to the World’s Columbian Exposition, and how those contributions reflected Binghamton’s values and aspirations for the future.” One Binghamton company that exhibited at the Fair in [...]
Aug. 30, 2018 – Feb. 24, 2019: S.S. Columbus Whale Boat Exhibit at the North Point Lighthouse and Museum (Milwaukee)
"A Whale of a Ship" exhibit at the North Point Lighthouse and Museum in Milwaukee. The S.S. Christopher Columbus, the only whaleback ship ever built for passenger service, transported millions of visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair between downtown Chicago and the Columbian Exposition fairgrounds. The excursion liner operated on the Great Lakes through 1933. A new exhibit running from August 30, 2018, through February 24, 2019 at the North Point Lighthouse and Museum in Milwaukee explores the construction and operation of this historic boat. “The S.S. Christopher Columbus: A Whale of a Ship” features photographs of [...]
Sep. 28-Dec. 31, 2018: “Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World’s Fair” at the Newberry Library (Chicago)
The celebration of the 125th anniversary of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 will climax this fall with a major exhibit and series of programs at the Newberry Library in Chicago. The Library is simultaneously celebrating the 125th anniversary of the opening of their beautiful building, designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb, architect of the Fisheries Building and several other structures on the Columbian Exposition fairgrounds. Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World's Fair opens on September 28, 2018 and runs through December 31, 2018. Curated by Diane Dillon, the Newberry’s Director of Exhibitions and Major Projects and [...]
Sept. 8, 2018-Aug. 11, 2019: “Treasures from the White City: The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893” at the Driehaus Museum (Chicago)
The Richard H. Driehaus Museum presents Treasures from the White City: Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, displaying original objects and memorabilia designed for and exhibited at the fair on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. The objects are drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection, as well as the Richard H. Driehaus private collection, and are exhibited in two galleries in the Nickerson Mansion, the building that now houses the Museum, which not only stood during the World’s Fair in 1893 but also hosted a large reception to celebrate the event. Treasures from the White City is divided into three [...]
May 4-Nov. 25, 2018: “Celebrating Libbey Glass, 1818-2018” at Toledo Museum of Art
The Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) currently has an exhibit commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Libbey Glass Company. Celebrating Libbey Glass, 1818-2018 features several pieces showing the Toledo glassmaker’s contributions to the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. The Libbey Glass Works building on the Midway Plaisance. [Image from Views of the World's Fair and Midway Plaisance (Conkey, 1894).] The Libbey Glass Works building, located at the east end of the Midway Plaisance at the Columbian Exposition, served as a working factory that offered demonstrations of glassmaking and exhibits of the company’s fine craft and sold numerous mementos [...]
Mar. 16, 2018-Apr. 28, 2019: World’s Fair “Mummies” at the Field Museum
Mummies that were on display at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition are back in Chicago after a 6-year national tour. The exhibition "Mummies" opens at the Field Museum on Friday, March 16, 2018, and showcases artifacts from ancient Egypt and ancient Peru. Some of the ancient mummy artifacts on display at the 1893 World's Fair. [from The Catalogue of the Cliff-Dwellers Exhibit (H. Jay Smith Exploring Company, 1893).] After the close of the 1893 World’s Fair, mummies that had been part of the anthropology exhibit entered the collection of the Columbian Museum of Chicago (the original name of what [...]