Court of Honor Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

The Chicago Fair of 1893 Will Remain Unexcelled
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The Chicago Fair of 1893 Will Remain Unexcelled

REPRINTS

The Chicago Fair of 1893 Will Remain Unexcelled

In the aftermath of World War II—facing staggering military casualties, the atrocities of the Holocaust, and the specter of nuclear weapons—some people sought solace in fond memories of better times. The following reminiscence of visiting the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago as a young boy appeared in the July 6, 1946, issue of the Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario). The author had grown up in the small town of Morenci, Michigan. The "electric bulbs which outlined the dome [...]

By Scott|2024-08-23T14:22:10-05:00August 24th, 2024|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: "Belly Dancer", Administration Building, Battleship Illinois, bum-bum, Caravels, Cliff Dwellers, Court of Honor, DeWitt Clinton (train), electric fountains, electricity, Empire State Express, Ferris Wheel, glass dress, illumination, Kansas State Building, Little Egypt, Princess Eulalia|0 Comments

25 Impressions of the 1893 World’s Fair
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25 Impressions of the 1893 World’s Fair

REPRINTS

25 Impressions of the 1893 World’s Fair

Toward the close of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, The Critic invited twenty-five notable scholars, writers, and leaders of the day to offer their brief impressions of the World’s Fair. At such a monumental event with so many novelties … what impressed them the most? It is interesting how frequently these contributors sing the same notes as they rhapsodize about the fairgrounds at night and the illumination of the Court of Honor, praise (except for Henry Fuller!) [...]

The Ninth Wonder of the World: Turning Day into Night at the 1893 Columbian Exposition
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The Ninth Wonder of the World: Turning Day into Night at the 1893 Columbian Exposition

REPRINTS

The Ninth Wonder of the World: Turning Day into Night at the 1893 Columbian Exposition

“However grand, complete and astonishing the World's Fair may appear to the public by daylight, it is at night that it can be seen in all its splendor and magnificence,” wrote the World’s Columbian Exposition Illustrated [read the article here]. Another description of the nightly illumination of the Court of Honor comes from the newspaper story reprinted below, originally from an (unknown) Chicago newspaper. Turning Day into Night “After dark at the World's Fair will be one of the [...]

By Scott|2024-04-05T08:26:47-05:00April 6th, 2024|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Auditorium, Charles T. Yerkes, Court of Honor, Diana, electric fountains, Grand Basin, illumination, search lights|0 Comments

In All Its Splendor and Magnificence: The World’s Fair at Night
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In All Its Splendor and Magnificence: The World’s Fair at Night

REPRINTS

In All Its Splendor and Magnificence: The World’s Fair at Night

The illumination of the White City evoked awe and wonder among visitors to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. “Nothing earthly can ever exceed this; man has reached high, higher, his fingers have almost touched the bars of heaven,” wrote Mrs. D. C. Taylor in her memoir Halcyon Days in the Dream City. [Read the full work here.] Reprinted below is a description of the fairgrounds at night published in the World’s Columbian Exposition Illustrated. The World’s Fair at Night [...]

By Scott|2024-03-31T16:42:21-05:00April 5th, 2024|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Court of Honor, illumination, search lights|0 Comments

The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 4: A Transformation Scene
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 4: A Transformation Scene

REPRINTS

The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 4: A Transformation Scene

Continued from Part 3 THE FAIR AS A SPECTACLE. How it seemed to a visitor—Strolling and dreaming by day and by night. By Charles Mulford Robinson Part 4: A Transformation Scene In such a mental condition, the best thing one could do was to take the Intramural Electric Railroad, itself a scientific exhibit, to the southern end of the grounds, and there to visit La Rabida. This was not part of a dream city, but of the living world—the [...]

By Scott|2023-07-03T17:23:44-05:00July 3rd, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Charles Mulford Robinson, Convent of La Rabida, Court of Honor, fireworks, illumination, World's Congress Auxiliary|0 Comments

The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque

REPRINTS

The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque

Continued from Part 1 [Note: This text includes names and descriptions now considered culturally disparaging. Please see our statement on “Potentially Offensive Text and Images.”] THE FAIR AS A SPECTACLE. How it seemed to a visitor—Strolling and dreaming by day and by night. By Charles Mulford Robinson Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque But in that brief view a lesson was also taught you which you took to heart at once. It was that the charm of the [...]

By Scott|2023-07-02T13:10:12-05:00July 1st, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Charles Mulford Robinson, Christopher Columbus (statue by Lawrence), Columbian Guard, Court of Honor, Golden Door, gondolas, Ho-o-den, Japanese Tea House, MacMonnies Fountain, Palace of Fine Arts, rolling chairs, Transportation Building, Woman's Building, Wooded Island|1 Comment

The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 1: “Behold my grandeur!”
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 1: “Behold my grandeur!”

REPRINTS

The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 1: “Behold my grandeur!”

Continued from Introduction THE FAIR AS A SPECTACLE. How it seemed to a visitor—Strolling and dreaming by day and by night. By Charles Mulford Robinson Part 1: “Behold my grandeur!” As a loving word rings in the heart when the voice that breathed it is still, as a beautiful face dwells in Memory’s kingdom after years have flown, and a noble deed still lives though its occasion be passed, so the beauty of the Fair, written anew in thousands [...]

By Scott|2023-07-03T06:44:38-05:00June 30th, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Charles Mulford Robinson, clock tower, Columbus Quadriga, Court of Honor, Grand Basin, Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, Peristyle, Statue of the Republic|2 Comments

Death of the Republic: The fiery end to the golden colossus of the 1893 World’s Fair
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Death of the Republic: The fiery end to the golden colossus of the 1893 World’s Fair

HISTORY

Death of the Republic: The fiery end to the golden colossus of the 1893 World’s Fair

They toppled the Republic at dawn on August 28, 1896. As the first rays of the sun spread across Lake Michigan and into Jackson Park, a funeral pyre lit inside the colossus began to spread up the structure. A flash of light soon appeared in her raised left arm. On a pedestal in the lagoon, the ghostly goddess stood with impassive dignity as muffled cracking within her heralded impending doom. A halo of yellow light formed about her head, [...]

By Scott|2022-12-09T11:20:09-06:00August 28th, 2021|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Court of Honor, Daniel Chester French, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, Grand Basin, Statue of the Republic|0 Comments

122. Picturesque World’s Fair – South Front of the Manufactures Building
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122. Picturesque World’s Fair – South Front of the Manufactures Building

REPRINTS

122. Picturesque World’s Fair – South Front of the Manufactures Building

SOUTH FRONT OF THE MANUFACTURES BUILDING.—While not its greatest frontage, the south end of the Manufactures Building was most familiar to Exposition visitors, facing as it did to the Court of Honor and affording between it and the Grand Basin a vantage point for seeing the fountains at play and the illumination of the buildings at night. The illustration above shows this frontage as well as that on the west, adjacent to the canal and the East Lagoon. The [...]

By Randy|2021-07-07T05:36:10-05:00July 7th, 2021|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Columbian Fountain, Court of Honor, Grand Basin, Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR, Richard Hunt|0 Comments

From Hades to Heaven: Penelope Gleason Knapp’s Visit to the Court of Honor
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From Hades to Heaven: Penelope Gleason Knapp’s Visit to the Court of Honor

REPRINTS

From Hades to Heaven: Penelope Gleason Knapp’s Visit to the Court of Honor

A visit to the 1893 World’s Fair inspired Penelope Gleason Knapp to pen a romantic and effusive love letter to the wonders of the White City. With Victorian flourish, she describes her rapturous experience in the Court of Honor, “where enchantment reigns supreme.” Her memoir offers a reminder that electric illumination on such a grand scale was an overwhelming experience for many visitors from small towns in America. Penelope Gleason Knapp In 1893, twenty-two-year-old Penelope Gleason Knapp was living [...]

By Scott|2021-04-02T11:11:32-05:00March 22nd, 2021|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Administration Building, Court of Honor, Diana, electric fountains, gondolas, illumination, MacMonnies Fountain, Obelisk, Statue of the Republic|0 Comments