Alexander Phimister Proctor Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

154. Picturesque World’s Fair – East front of Machinery Hall and the Obelisk
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154. Picturesque World’s Fair – East front of Machinery Hall and the Obelisk

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154. Picturesque World’s Fair – East front of Machinery Hall and the Obelisk

EAST FRONT OF MACHINERY HALL, AND THE OBELISK.—The area of water extending to the south from the Grand Basin and known as the South Canal was so entirely surrounded by the beautiful in art or architecture that a view across it from any point was sure to be something captivating. The view above is from the northeast corner of the canal, just where the " Farmer's Bridge " terminated on the area in front of the Agriculture Building, with [...]

By Randy|2023-10-10T17:09:30-05:00July 27th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Agricultural Building, Alexander Phimister Proctor, Farmer's Bridge, Grand Basin, Machinery Hall, Obelisk, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR|0 Comments

149. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Statue of Plenty
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149. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Statue of Plenty

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149. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Statue of Plenty

THE STATUE OF " PLENTY."—The pieces of statuary which stood beside the portals of the great buildings or bridge approaches, or on pedestals overlooking the Grand Basin and canals and lagoons, had all definite names fitted to the idea of their conception. What Kemeys and Proctor did with wild animals Potter and French did with domestic ones, introducing them in statuary with fine effect. The Statue of " Plenty " was well conceived in the female figure leaning carelessly [...]

By Randy|2023-03-09T17:41:36-06:00March 10th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Alexander Phimister Proctor, Daniel Chester French, Edward Kemeys, Edward Potter, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR|0 Comments

Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair? (Pt 2)
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Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair? (Pt 2)

HISTORY

Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair? (Pt 2)

The pair of lion sculptures by Edward Kemeys that stand in front of the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) are not cast from sculptures at the 1893 World’s Fair. This misinformation, which appears to have originated in the late 1980s, now permeates descriptions of these iconic Chicago mascots in institutional, popular, and scholarly sources. A set of sixteen lion sculptures stood at the entrances to the Palace of Fine Arts at the World’s Columbian Exposition (WCE), and numerous contemporary sources credit their authorship to A. Phimister Proctor and Theodore Baur (not Kemeys). More importantly, the designs of Kemeys’ AIC lions clearly do not match any of the WCE lions.

By Scott|2022-07-14T06:22:03-05:00July 14th, 2022|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Alexander Phimister Proctor, Art Institute of Chicago, Charles Hutchinson, Edward Kemeys, Julian Hawthorne, Marshall Field, Palace of Fine Arts, Theodore Baur|1 Comment

Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair? (Pt 1)
Gallery
Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair? (Pt 1)

HISTORY

Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair? (Pt 1)

The pair of lion sculptures by Edward Kemeys that stand in front of the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) are not cast from sculptures at the 1893 World’s Fair. This misinformation, which appears to have originated in the late 1980s, now permeates descriptions of these iconic Chicago mascots in institutional, popular, and scholarly sources. A set of sixteen lion sculptures stood at the entrances to the Palace of Fine Arts at the World’s Columbian Exposition (WCE), and numerous contemporary sources credit their authorship to A. Phimister Proctor and Theodore Baur (not Kemeys). More importantly, the designs of Kemeys’ AIC lions clearly do not match any of the WCE lions.

By Scott|2023-12-17T08:07:23-06:00July 14th, 2022|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Alexander Phimister Proctor, Art Institute of Chicago, Caesar (Statue), Edward Kemeys, Francis Millet, Julian Hawthorne, Moses P. Handy, Palace of Fine Arts, Theodore Baur, W. D. Richardson, W.W. Denslow|1 Comment

141. Picturesque World’s Fair – Proctor’s Noted Statue of “The Indian”
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141. Picturesque World’s Fair – Proctor’s Noted Statue of “The Indian”

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141. Picturesque World’s Fair – Proctor’s Noted Statue of “The Indian”

PROCTOR'S NOTED STATUE OF "THE INDIAN." — The most notable adornments of the West Lagoon were Proctor's "Indian" and "Cowboy," which pieces of statuary stood overlooking the lagoon from points near the Transportation Building. It was certainly fortunate that the work of producing the statuary around the main basin and lagoons was left to artists as thoroughly American in choice of theme and manner of treatment as Edward Kemeys and A. Phimister Proctor. By neither of them was anything [...]

By Randy|2022-07-10T09:12:33-05:00July 10th, 2022|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Alexander Phimister Proctor, Edward Kemeys, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR, Transportation Building|0 Comments

THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part I: Sculpture in the Grand Basin
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THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part I: Sculpture in the Grand Basin

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THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part I: Sculpture in the Grand Basin

Julian Hawthorne (June 22, 1846 – July 21, 1934) was the only son of novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne and himself a journalist and author. Julian Hawthorne’s biographer notes that “as an author, he far exceeded the literary production of his famous father, composing no less than twenty-six novels and romances, over sixty short stories, almost a hundred essays, and several lengthy works of history, biography, and autobiography.” [Bassan, Maurice Hawthorne’s Son: The Life and Literary Career of Julian Hawthorne. Ohio [...]

By Scott|2019-02-03T10:31:16-06:00February 2nd, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Administration Building, Alexander Phimister Proctor, Daniel Chester French, Edward Kemeys, Edward Potter, Frederick MacMonnies, Julian Hawthorne, Karl Bitter, MacMonnies Fountain, Peristyle, Philip Martiny, Statue of the Republic|2 Comments