gondolas Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

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 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

128. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Falls of the Columbian Fountain
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128. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Falls of the Columbian Fountain

REPRINTS

128. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Falls of the Columbian Fountain

THE FALLS OF THE COLUMBIAN FOUNTAIN.—Viewed from its front, and at a point not remote, the overflow of the Columbian Fountain afforded the spectacle of one of the most charming of'cataracts. The mass of water tumbled down from level to level in a great foaming semi-circle, until, finally, it plunged into the Grand Basin, a white sheet impress-ive in its beauty. Wider than the famous Falls of Minnehaha, though with not quite so much descent, the falls of the [...]

By Randy|2021-10-27T04:42:44-05:00October 27th, 2021|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Columbian Fountain, gondolas, Grand Basin, MacMonnies Fountain, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR|0 Comments

127. Picturesque World’s Fair – Eastern Portal of Machinery Hall
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127. Picturesque World’s Fair – Eastern Portal of Machinery Hall

REPRINTS

127. Picturesque World’s Fair – Eastern Portal of Machinery Hall

EASTERN PORTAL OF MACHINERY HALL.—The view here given is an admirable one of the eastern entrance to Machinery Hall and makes plain the remarkable architectural style of that great edifice. The entrance has been described at length, but only such a view as this, the reproduction of a photograph taken from the Agriculture Building at a point directly across the canal, could bring out the charming details. The portico of this entrance was a popular resort because here was [...]

By Randy|2021-10-16T05:24:37-05:00October 16th, 2021|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Agricultural Building, gondolas, Machinery Hall, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR, South Canal|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

Love on the Lagoon at the 1893 World’s Fair
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Love on the Lagoon at the 1893 World’s Fair

REPRINTS

Love on the Lagoon at the 1893 World’s Fair

A romantic ride in an authentic Venetian gondola was a dreamy treat for many visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair. Guiding these craft through the Grand Basin and Lagoon were fifty-seven Venetian gondoliers brought from Italy by the World's Fair Venetian Gondola Company of Chicago. A Venetian swan gondola gliding across the South Canal, along the western side of the Agricultural Building at the 1893 World’s Fair. [Image from The Dream City. A Portfolio of Photographic Views of [...]

By Scott|2021-04-02T11:15:33-05:00February 14th, 2021|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Ethnographical Exhibit, gondolas|0 Comments

Chicago00 Launches 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition VR Web Portal
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Chicago00 Launches 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition VR Web Portal

NEWS

Chicago00 Launches 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition VR Web Portal

Grab your Columbian Exposition return pass and head back to the 1893 World’s Fair virtually with the Chicago 00 Project, which has launched their 1893 World's Columbian Exposition VR web portal at https://1893.chicago00.org/. A partnership between the Chicago History Museum and filmmaker Geoffrey Alan Rhodes, the Chicago 00 Project has been producing a series of interactive multimedia experiences using historical images of important sites and events in Chicago. Their augmented reality app allows participant to overlay historic photos with [...]

By Scott|2020-06-29T10:42:24-05:00June 29th, 2020|Categories: NEWS|Tags: Chicago History Museum, Ferris Wheel, gondolas, Grand Basin, Horticultural Building, Jackson Park, Java Village, Lapland Village, Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, Midway Plaisance, Sitting Bull's Cabin, Wooded Island|0 Comments

THE CITY OF WONDERS: A Souvenir of the World’s Fair (Chapter 13)
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THE CITY OF WONDERS: A Souvenir of the World’s Fair (Chapter 13)

REPRINTS

THE CITY OF WONDERS: A Souvenir of the World’s Fair (Chapter 13)

THE CITY OF WONDERS A SOUVENIR OF THE WORLD'S FAIR by Mary Catherine Crowley (1894)

By Scott|2024-04-01T18:58:33-05:00January 3rd, 2020|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Administration Building, Children's Building, Court of Honor, gondolas, Ho-o-den, Horticultural Building, illumination, Lake Michigan, Queen Victoria, Woman's Building, Wooded Island|1 Comment

Summer 2019 Trivia Question
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Summer 2019 Trivia Question

TRIVIA

Summer 2019 Trivia Question

Our seasonal newsletter includes a “Palmer Puzzler” exclusive to those who subscribe. (You can sign up here.) The first person to send us the correct answer wins a small prize. Gondola on the North Pond, featuring a traditional fero da prora. [Image from Johnson, Rossiter A History of the World's Columbian Exposition Volume 1 - Narrative. D. Appleton and Co., 1897.] The Summer 2019 Trivia Question The prow of a traditional Venetian gondola has a metal plate [...]

By Scott|2019-07-31T16:05:19-05:00August 6th, 2019|Categories: TRIVIA|Tags: gondolas|0 Comments

A Night at the Exposition on the Fourth of July, 1893
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A Night at the Exposition on the Fourth of July, 1893

REPRINTS

A Night at the Exposition on the Fourth of July, 1893

“Combine all the adjectives in the English language that express beauty, loveliness, grace and perfection, even then you will fail to describe a gala night at the Exposition.” -- World’s Columbian Exposition Illustrated January 1894. July 4, 1893, was a special day at the World’s Columbian Exposition, designated as "United States Day." Attendance swelled to enormous 283,273 paid visitors, making this the largest attendance of any day so far—even greater than on Opening Day—and perhaps the largest festival attendance [...]

By Scott|2023-12-08T09:12:00-06:00July 4th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: “The Vanishing City”, Administration Building, Court of Honor, electric launches, fireworks, gondolas, Independence Day, July 4, Machinery Hall, Richard Watson Gilder, search lights, Wooded Island|0 Comments