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[Continued from Part 1] A great stage decked with ambitious scenery Perhaps the first thing that would strike a stranger entering the World’s Fair grounds in the summer of 1892 would be the silence of the place, the next the almost theatrical unreality of the impression by the sight of an assemblage of buildings so startlingly out of the common in size and form. When I speak of the silence, I mean the effect of silence. There are seven [...]
Few essays about the fairgrounds for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition better capture the creative energy of its construction than H. C. Bunner’s “The Making of the White City.” The American novelist, journalist, and poet Henry Cuyler Bunner (1855–1896) visited Jackson Park in Chicago during the summer of 1892. There he witnessed laborers assembling the great exhibit halls, hundreds of smaller structures, and magnificent landscaping in advance of the October 1892 Dedication Day ceremony. While Bunner employs an ornate [...]
As the daughter-in-law of Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison, Sr., Edith Ogden Harrison had a front-seat view of the 1893 World’s Fair. Born in New Orleans on November 16, 1862, Edith married Carter Harrison, Jr. in 1887. While he walked in his father’s footsteps, serving as mayor of Chicago from 1897–1905 and 1911–1915, Mrs. Harrison was prolific author of children’s fairy tales. Fifty-six years after the close of the Fair (and the tragic assignation of her father-in-law in his home), [...]
On May 25, 1893, Mr. E. A. Hodge departed Marion, Kansas, heading to the World’s Columbian Exposition. A few days after arriving in Chicago, he wrote home advising other visitors: “Don’t plan to stay here less than ten days—thirty are better, and if you want to study the exhibits you can put in three months.” (Marion Record, June 9, 1893) His letter of July 7, printed in the July 27 issue of the Marion Record (when he finally had [...]
The Great Exhibit Halls Each of the great exhibit halls of the 1893 World's Fair centered around one of the main departments of the Columbian Exposition. Explore each of these buildings using the interactive map below. Click on a building to open an image, summary information, and links to posts and pages about the building, its architects, artists, and exhibits. 1. Palace of Fine Arts 2. Fisheries Building 3. Woman’s Building 4. U.S. Government Building 5. Horticultural [...]
Notable People at the 1893 World’s Fair Among the millions of people attending the Columbian Exposition were countless famous or soon-to-be famous names. The list below is an attempt at counting. What constitutes famous? Having a Wikipedia page today is the reasonable requirement used to assemble most entries in this list. Posts for some people are provided as links in their name. A person’s role in the Exposition is identied in brackets: [A] = artists (architects, painters, sculptors, musicians) [...]
“The Fair, considered as an electrical exposition only, would be well worthy the attention of the world.” —Murat Halstead, “Electricity at the Fair” Cosmopolitan, September 1893. A great central power plant inside of Machinery Hall powered most of the incandescent lamps, arc lamps, motors, and water pumps for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Capable of delivering more than 12,000 horsepower (9480 kilowatts), this was not only—by far—the largest power plant ever built but also a stunning exhibit of the [...]
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN.—It was a merit of the famous Columbian Fountain and one indicative of its quality as a great work of art that it was beautiful from whatever direction a view of it might be taken. So perfect were the relations of its parts that even a bird's-eye view gave something symmetrical and picturesque In the illustration, the observer being almost directly north and at a slight elevation, minor details of the barge are not [...]
Timeline Events and Dates of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago The Columbian Exposition (May 1-Oct. 30, 1893) May 1893 Tuesday, May 1 (Opening Day) Tuesday, May 8 (Catholic Knights of America Day) Wednesday, May 17 (Norway Day) Tuesday, May 23 Wednesday, May 24 (Maine Day) Thursday, May 25 Friday, May 26 Saturday, May 27 Sunday, May 28 Monday, May 29 Tuesday, May 30 (Decoration Day) June 1893 Monday, June 5 (Denmark Day) Thursday, [...]
Arriving unannounced and dressed in civilian clothing, United States government officials attempted to seize Russian assets in Chicago. In retaliation of the invasion, the Russians abruptly withdrew from a major international alliance. The year was 1893. The World’s Columbian Exposition was a trade show on a colossal scale. Foreign countries and businesses sent to the World's Fair in Chicago an enormous quantity of goods to display in the great halls of the White City. Though ostensibly exhibits, many of [...]
