Edward Kemeys Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

Edward Kemeys and his Work on the Lions for the Art Institute
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Edward Kemeys and his Work on the Lions for the Art Institute

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Edward Kemeys and his Work on the Lions for the Art Institute

The pair of lions sculptures by Edward Kemeys that guard the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago are among the most recognized icons of the city. Their confusing origin story, often incorrectly connected to the 1893 World’s Fair, is described in Part 1 and Part 2 of “Did the Art Institute of Chicago lions come from the 1893 World’s Fair?” A profile of Edward Kemeys, written when his lion sculptures were about to be cast in bronze and [...]

By Scott|2024-12-30T18:04:24-06:00December 31st, 2024|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Art Institute of Chicago, Edward Kemeys|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|2025-01-18T15:44:06-06:00July 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

1893 World’s Fair Replicas in Chicago Parks
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1893 World’s Fair Replicas in Chicago Parks

NEWS

1893 World’s Fair Replicas in Chicago Parks

The Chicago Public Library Blog post "World’s Fair Replicas in Chicago Parks" offers a brief review of four replica sculptures from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition that can be seen today in various Chicago Parks. These include Daniel Chester French's Statue of the Republic (1918 replica) in Jackson Park, George Wade's Fountain Girl (2012 replica) in Lincoln Park, and Edward Kemey's Prairie King and Sound of the Whoop bison (1911 replicas). Other statues from the 1893 World's Fair grace [...]

By Scott|2021-04-02T11:12:23-05:00March 13th, 2021|Categories: NEWS|Tags: Daniel Chester French, Edward Kemeys, Edward Potter, Fountain Girl, Statue of the Republic|0 Comments

Edward Kemeys’ “Buffalo”, Masked
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Edward Kemeys’ “Buffalo”, Masked

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Edward Kemeys’ “Buffalo”, Masked

Edward Kemeys' buffalo sculptures for the 1893 World's Fair "possess that touch of the ideal—that suggestion of the soul—which, lacking in the real animal, is bestowed by the magic of art."

By Scott|2020-05-24T10:01:48-05:00May 24th, 2020|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Edward Kemeys|0 Comments

April 26, 2019: 1893 Scavenger Hunt in the Chicago Loop
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April 26, 2019: 1893 Scavenger Hunt in the Chicago Loop

EVENTS (past)

April 26, 2019: 1893 Scavenger Hunt in the Chicago Loop

If you love learning about the history of the 1893 World’s Fair, are passionate about Chicago architecture, enjoy puzzles, and want to stretch your legs, then head to the Chicago Loop for “Glitz, Glamour…and Panic! A Hunt for the History of 1893 in Chicago.” Atlas Obscura Chicago Field Agent Patti Swanson is once again hosting her "Google-proof" scavenger hunt in the Chicago Loop on Friday, April 26, 2019. You will meet on the steps of the Art Institute of [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:48:09-06:00March 26th, 2019|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: Art Institute of Chicago, Edward Kemeys, Loop, World’s Congress Auxiliary 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

Dec. 8: 125th Anniversary Celebration at the Art Institute of Chicago
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Dec. 8: 125th Anniversary Celebration at the Art Institute of Chicago

EVENTS (past)

Dec. 8: 125th Anniversary Celebration at the Art Institute of Chicago

December 8 is a full day for Columbian Exposition enthusiasts in Chicago! If you don’t already plan to attend the World’s Fair symposium at the Newberry Library or the talk on the White City at the Bezazian Library, you can check out the 125th anniversary celebration at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC). To celebrate their anniversary, the AIC invites everyone to join in a recreation of this 1893 opening day photo from their archives. Just meet at the [...]

By Scott|2022-12-10T09:59:02-06:00December 2nd, 2018|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: Art Institute of Chicago, Edward Kemeys, World's Congress Auxiliary, World’s Congress Auxiliary Building|1 Comment