Hagenbeck's Animal Arena Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

The Amusement Zone of the 1893 Columbian Exposition featured on WTTW’s “Chicago Stories”
Gallery
The Amusement Zone of the 1893 Columbian Exposition featured on WTTW’s “Chicago Stories”

NEWS

The Amusement Zone of the 1893 Columbian Exposition featured on WTTW’s “Chicago Stories”

“The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition proved that Chicagoans had a healthy appetite for amusement—and that fun could be monetized.” —WTTW’s Chicago Stories An episode of WTTW’s Chicago Stories airing on October 4, 2024, takes viewers on a ride through the history of regional amusement parks such as The White City, Riverview, and Kiddieland. “Amusement Parks” opens with a visit to the 1893 World’s Fair and some dazzling digital animation of vintage photographs. “The 1893 Columbian Exposition was a BIG [...]

By Scott|2024-10-24T10:16:25-05:00October 24th, 2024|Categories: NEWS|Tags: Ferris Wheel, Hagenbeck's Animal Arena, Midway Plaisance|0 Comments

Ron Soule’s “Escape from the Emerald City” imagines an origin story for Oz at the 1893 World’s Fair
Gallery
Ron Soule’s “Escape from the Emerald City” imagines an origin story for Oz at the 1893 World’s Fair

FICTION, PRODUCTS

Ron Soule’s “Escape from the Emerald City” imagines an origin story for Oz at the 1893 World’s Fair

Escape from the Emerald City by Ron Soule. Independently published, 2023. 105 pages. Hardcover, $14.95. ISBN 9798395968029. Paperback, $7.95. ISBN 9798395968111. In the growing library of “fairground fiction,” stories that involve historical figures offer a special treat to readers who enjoy imagining how famous (and soon-to-be-famous) people experienced the 1893 World’s Fair. A then-unknown traveling salesman from Chicago visited the fairgrounds on several occasions with his wife and four sons. Only a few years later he would burst onto [...]

By Scott|2023-12-21T06:05:37-06:00December 21st, 2023|Categories: FICTION, PRODUCTS|Tags: Captive Balloon, Electricity Building, Hagenbeck's Animal Arena, L. Frank Baum, Lorado Taft, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Tower of Light, Volcano of Kilauea|0 Comments

This Side Up: The Man Who Mailed Himself to the Midway in a Box
Gallery
This Side Up: The Man Who Mailed Himself to the Midway in a Box

HISTORY

This Side Up: The Man Who Mailed Himself to the Midway in a Box

Despite having nearly 120,000 people enter the fairgrounds on Friday, July 28, this was the slowest day of the week at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The day before had been a busy one, with Commercial Travelers and German Turners pouring into the Chicago fair for their "special days." Among the few events on Friday was the opening of an interesting package in the Woman’s Building. The box contained a gift from Empress Elisabeth of Austria to the Board [...]

By Scott|2023-10-05T07:24:01-05:00October 3rd, 2023|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Adams Express Company, Austrian Village (Old Vienna), Hagenbeck's Animal Arena|1 Comment

Spring 2020 Trivia Question
Gallery
Spring 2020 Trivia Question

TRIVIA

Spring 2020 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. The Spring 2020 Trivia Question Who was the "Tiger King" of the 1893 World's Fair? A. George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. B. Francis Millet C. P. T. Barnum D. Carl Hagenbeck E. George R. Davis Many readers knew that the correct answer is Carl Hagenbeck, proprietor of Hagenbeck’s Wild [...]

By Scott|2024-05-29T14:25:15-05:00April 5th, 2020|Categories: TRIVIA|Tags: Hagenbeck's Animal Arena|0 Comments

THE CITY OF WONDERS: A Souvenir of the World’s Fair (Chapter 10)
Gallery
THE CITY OF WONDERS: A Souvenir of the World’s Fair (Chapter 10)

REPRINTS

THE CITY OF WONDERS: A Souvenir of the World’s Fair (Chapter 10)

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

By Scott|2022-12-10T10:03:03-06:00December 31st, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Algerian and Tunisian Village, American Indian Village, Austrian Village (Old Vienna), Captive Balloon, Chinese Village, Dahomey Village, Ferris Wheel, German Village, Hagenbeck's Animal Arena, Hindoo Jugglers, Ice Railway, Japanese Bazaar, Java Village, Lapland Village, Midway Plaisance, Moorish Palace, sedan chair, Street in Cairo, Turkish Village|0 Comments

Echoes of the White City Part 2: “A Midway in Miniature”
Gallery
Echoes of the White City Part 2: “A Midway in Miniature”

HISTORY

Echoes of the White City Part 2: “A Midway in Miniature”

For two weeks in November of 1894, an ersatz Midway Plaisance sprang to life inside of the Battery D Armory and Second Regiment Armory buildings in downtown Chicago.

By Scott|2022-12-10T10:08:01-06:00November 16th, 2019|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: "Belly Dancer", Austrian Village (Old Vienna), camels, Chinese Village, Dahomey Village, Hagenbeck's Animal Arena, Midway Plaisance, Moorish Palace, Old Times Log Cabin and Restaurant, Street in Cairo, Turkish Village|1 Comment

THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part III: Curiosities of the Midway Plaisance
Gallery
THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part III: Curiosities of the Midway Plaisance

REPRINTS

THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part III: Curiosities of the Midway Plaisance

Author Julian Hawthorne visited the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Reprinted below is the third part of Julian Hawthorne’s “The Lady of the Lake” about his June visit to the fairgrounds and published in the August 1893 issue of Lippincott’s Magazine. The previous installments can be found in Part I and Part II. [NOTE: By today’s standards, some of Hawthorne’s remarks about the Midway Plaisance and citizens of the international villages sound racist. It was not uncommon for commentators [...]

By Scott|2022-12-10T10:03:20-06:00February 5th, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Columbian Guard, Hagenbeck's Animal Arena, Java Village, Julian Hawthorne, Midway Plaisance, sedan chair, Street in Cairo, Temple of Luxor, Turkish Village|0 Comments

Pictures from “Pictures from an Exposition”
Gallery
Pictures from “Pictures from an Exposition”

NEWS

Pictures from “Pictures from an Exposition”

“Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World’s Fair” has opened at the Newberry Library. “Pictures from an Exposition: Visualizing the 1893 World’s Fair” has opened at the Newberry Library in Chicago. The exhibition of nearly two hundred items from the World’s Columbian Exposition fills two galleries in the Library’s newly renovated main floor. Displays are organized into sections on: • Introduction • Construction • Maps and Bird’s Eye Views • Staff and Sculpture • Publicity and [...]

By Scott|2022-10-10T09:01:00-05:00September 30th, 2018|Categories: NEWS|Tags: Ferris Wheel, Fisheries Building, Glorification of the Arts, Hagenbeck's Animal Arena, lagoon, Michigan State Building, Newberry Library, sheet music, Simon Pokagon, Wooded Island|0 Comments

Opening Day, Part 2: Presidential Procession to the Fairgrounds
Gallery
Opening Day, Part 2: Presidential Procession to the Fairgrounds

OPENING DAY

Opening Day, Part 2: Presidential Procession to the Fairgrounds

Presidential Procession to the Fairgrounds This is Part 2 of our series “Opening Day of the World’s Fair,” which explores the events of May 1, 1893, at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The full series can be found here. Finely decorated with flags and bunting The Auditorium Building, where the Duke of Vergua stayed. [Image from the Rijksmueum, Amsterdam.] On the morning of Opening Day of the 1893 World’s Fair, the center of attraction in downtown Chicago [...]