The 1893 World’s Fair
Welcome Columbian Exposition enthusiasts!
This educational, non-profit website is dedicated to the history and legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair held in Chicago. We aim to explore details of its buildings and lesser known corners of the fairgrounds, to rediscover the countless attractions ranging from the astounding to the mundane, and to document stories about the people who built and experienced the fair.
The Columbian Exposition remains alive today through research and reprints; learning about news and events; exploring sites and exhibits; cataloging World’s Fair fiction, drama, art, and other media; and collecting antiques and products. Enjoy our “nerds-eye” view of the Fair!
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A City of Realized Dreams
The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition showcased harmony of architectural design and sculpture, advanced technologies to serve humanity, and education to guide moral progress. These themes are featured in the essay reprinted here, from the [...]
166. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Rhode Island Building
THE RHODE ISLAND BUILDING.—The smallest state in the Union made by no means the smallest showing at the Columbian Exposition. She contributed $50,000 toward a state exhibit, and her pretty building, which cost $10,000, [...]
Horace Spencer Fiske’s odes to Daniel Chester French’s Columbian Exposition sculptures
The great sculptural works of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition have been memorialized in photographs, paintings, and prose. Poetry, too, honors some of the famous sculptures from the Fair. Horace Spencer Fiske (1859–1940) taught [...]
Maps
Explore maps of the fairgounds and a map of existing sites associated with the 1893 World’s Fair, visit Columbian Exhibition exhibits, or discover vestiges of the fair.
Oct. 9, 2024: “Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893” adult learners course (Manchester, MI)
The Adult Learners Institute of Michigan will take participants to the 1893 World’s Fair on Wednesday, October 9, 2024. John Hauger will offer a class on “The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893” from 2–4 [...]
Sep. 28, 2024: “The Viking Ship and the ‘Discovery’ of America” (online)
The Viking Ship is one of the most impressive relics from the 1893 World's Fair. Learn about the "Viking Ship and the 'Discovery' of America" at a webinar by Timothy Boyce hosted by the [...]
“No Holmes Barred!” A World’s Fair Radio Show Podcast Concludes
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 [...]
Build your own World’s Fair host city with “Chicago 1893: The City Beautiful” tile game
The Great Chicago Fire of October 1871 has burned a four-mile-long scar across the heart of the city. It’s time to rebuild the city as Chicago plans to host the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. [...]
The White City Wish Book: Toys and Holiday Gifts from the 1893 World’s Fair
What holiday gift would you have wished for? In the years following the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, children could have received any number of fair-themed toys and games. Shown below are some examples advertised [...]
Season’s Readings: 2022 Books about the World’s Columbian Exposition
2022 brought several additions to the World’s Columbian Exposition bookshelf.
