Harlow Higinbotham – Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

third President of the World’s Columbian Exposition Board of Directors (aka “the Directory”)

Mayhem on the Midway
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Mayhem on the Midway

REPRINTS

Mayhem on the Midway

Chicagoans rioted in the street—looting shops, destroying property, and attacking law enforcement. They were drunk, lascivious, and did not stop their mayhem until morning. The year was 1893. The place was the Midway Plaisance, the entertainment district of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Just two nights earlier, an assassin had gunned down Chicago’s colorful and beloved mayor, Carter Harrison, Sr., at his front door. With the pageant planned for the Columbian Exposition Closing Day ceremonies cancelled out of respect for [...]

By Scott|2025-10-29T07:50:47-05:00October 30th, 2025|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Bedouin Camp-Wild East Show, Chinese Village, Closing Day, Columbian Guard, Edmund Rice, Ferris Wheel, George R. Davis, Harlow Higinbotham, Midway Plaisance, rolling chairs, Turkish Village, W.W. Denslow|0 Comments

“It would never do to leave it out”: How the Columbian Exposition was omitted from the U.S. Capitol’s FRIEZE OF AMERICAN HISTORY
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“It would never do to leave it out”: How the Columbian Exposition was omitted from the U.S. Capitol’s FRIEZE OF AMERICAN HISTORY

HISTORY

“It would never do to leave it out”: How the Columbian Exposition was omitted from the U.S. Capitol’s FRIEZE OF AMERICAN HISTORY

The United States Capitol almost became the home of a painting to commemorate the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. [Image from Pennsylvania Railroad to the Columbian Exposition (Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 1892).] U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., February 24, 1890 “CHICAGO WINS,” headlines read across the country the next morning. The Midwest metropolis won the bid to host the upcoming World’s Fair on the eighth vote in the House of Representatives. After a six-hour battle on February 24, 1890, the [...]

By Scott|2025-08-18T09:14:31-05:00September 18th, 2025|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Adlai Stevenson, Bertha Palmer, Columbian Guard, Dewitt Cregier, Duke of Veragua, Frances E Willard, George R. Davis, Grover Cleveland, Harlow Higinbotham, James W. Ellsworth, Kenyon Cox, Potter Palmer, Princess Eulalia, William E Curtis|0 Comments

Giving Thanks Before the 1893 World’s Fair Opens
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Giving Thanks Before the 1893 World’s Fair Opens

REPRINTS

Giving Thanks Before the 1893 World’s Fair Opens

On Thanksgiving 1892, Chicago was gearing up for the World’s Columbian Exposition, having just held the grand Dedication Day ceremonies on October 21 and the Inaugural Reception ball two days before that. Both events had showed that Chicago was ready to host the World’s Fair the following spring. What were these ten prominent Chicagoans thankful for? In this cartoon for the Chicago Inter Ocean Illustrated Supplement, artist Art Young attempts to take a guess their inner thoughts. George R. [...]

By Scott|2024-11-28T09:23:28-06:00November 28th, 2024|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Anthony F. Seeberger, Art Young, Eugene Field, George R. Davis, Harlow Higinbotham, Hempstead Washburne, Moses P. Handy, Robert A. Waller, Thomas W. Palmer, Victor Lawson|0 Comments

Did you see the 1893 Fair? Prove it with a “Certificate of Visitation to the World’s Columbian Exposition”
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Did you see the 1893 Fair? Prove it with a “Certificate of Visitation to the World’s Columbian Exposition”

HISTORY

Did you see the 1893 Fair? Prove it with a “Certificate of Visitation to the World’s Columbian Exposition”

You bought your train ticket and booked your lodging in Chicago, traveled to Jackson Park and paid your fifty-cent admission. You’ve finally made it into the City of Wonders, the Dream City, the White City … the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition fairgrounds. How will anyone believe you are here if you don’t purchase an official “Certificate of Visitation” to show friends back home? T. Dart Walker’s drawing “In the Rotunda of the Administration Building” depicts a busy ground [...]

By Scott|2025-06-11T14:34:41-05:00December 20th, 2023|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Administration Building, Harlow Higinbotham, Howard O. Edmonds, model of the US Treasury, Model Post Office, postcards, souvenirs|0 Comments

THIS IS A LOAN from Isabella Stewart Gardner
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THIS IS A LOAN from Isabella Stewart Gardner

HISTORY

THIS IS A LOAN from Isabella Stewart Gardner

A new Netflix documentary This Is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist reveals the grievous but fascinating story of a 1990 art theft from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Two paintings from the collection (thankfully not stolen!) were loaned by Mrs. Gardner to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and exhibited in the Palace of Fine Arts. Hanging in the Swedish display in Gallery 70 was Anders Zorn’s Omnibus (1892). Mrs. Gardner purchased this 49 [...]

By Scott|2021-04-25T11:09:28-05:00April 25th, 2021|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Harlow Higinbotham, Palace of Fine Arts|0 Comments

A Tribute to Harlow N. Higinbotham, President of the World’s Columbian Exposition
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A Tribute to Harlow N. Higinbotham, President of the World’s Columbian Exposition

HISTORY

A Tribute to Harlow N. Higinbotham, President of the World’s Columbian Exposition

On April 18, 1919, the former president of the World’s Columbian Exposition met a tragic death. Harlow N. Higinbotham was visiting New York to “meet the boys” of Illinois who had recently returned from serving in the U.S. military during the Great War. The eighty-year-old Chicagoan set out from his residence at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Central Park to the New York headquarters of the Illinois Soldiers' Welcome Committee at 107 East 34th Street. Along the way, he stepped [...]

By Scott|2020-04-19T15:47:16-05:00April 18th, 2020|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Ferd Peck, Graceland Cemetery, Harlow Higinbotham, Howard O. Edmonds|0 Comments

Echoes of the White City Part 4: “Heard No More”
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Echoes of the White City Part 4: “Heard No More”

HISTORY

Echoes of the White City Part 4: “Heard No More”

In 1894, Chicago socialites rebuilt a miniature version of the great Midway Plaisance from the 1893 World’s Fair inside of two downtown armories. “Echoes of the White City—The Midway” culminated in a “Grand Finale” on November 27.

By Scott|2022-10-03T09:09:02-05:00November 27th, 2019|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Board of Lady Managers, camels, Chicago Hussars, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Eugene Field, Harlow Higinbotham, Isabella quarter, Michigan Military Academy Cadets, Midway Plaisance, Thomas W. Palmer, Virginia Meredith|0 Comments

World’s Columbian Exposition Secretary Howard O. Edmonds’ Presentation Set Sells for $21,600
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World’s Columbian Exposition Secretary Howard O. Edmonds’ Presentation Set Sells for $21,600

ANTIQUES, NEWS

World’s Columbian Exposition Secretary Howard O. Edmonds’ Presentation Set Sells for $21,600

The Howard O. Edmonds presentation set sold by Heritage Auctions in August 2019. [Image from Heritage Auctions.] Heritage Auctions offered a rare Columbian Exposition presentation set at their August 2019 “ANA World's Fair of Money US Coins Signature Auction.” The group consisting of a medal, pin and two ribbons that had once belonged to Howard O. Edmonds, secretary of the Exposition, sold for $21,600. The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) had certified the medal set in the spring of [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:54:47-06:00August 23rd, 2019|Categories: ANTIQUES, NEWS|Tags: Dedication Day, Elihu Vedder, Harlow Higinbotham, Howard O. Edmonds|0 Comments

Feb. 2, 2019: Potter & Potter Auctions to Offer Columbian Exposition Collectibles
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Feb. 2, 2019: Potter & Potter Auctions to Offer Columbian Exposition Collectibles

ANTIQUES, EVENTS (past)

Feb. 2, 2019: Potter & Potter Auctions to Offer Columbian Exposition Collectibles

A Statue of the Republic plaster model up for sale through Potter & Potter Auctions on February 2, 2019. Potter & Potter Auctions of Chicago will offer several interesting World’s Columbian Exposition items in their February 2nd auction, “Fine Books and Manuscripts: Featuring Important Chicago Memorabilia.” A unique lot is a three-foot, golden Statue of the Republic plaster model, identified as being produced by Orlandi Statuary of Chicago in 1993 for the 100th anniversary of the Exposition. [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:38:41-06:00January 12th, 2019|Categories: ANTIQUES, EVENTS (past)|Tags: auction, Harlow Higinbotham, Statue of the Republic|0 Comments

Remembering Harlow Higinbotham, President of the World’s Columbian Exposition
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Remembering Harlow Higinbotham, President of the World’s Columbian Exposition

REPRINTS

Remembering Harlow Higinbotham, President of the World’s Columbian Exposition

Today we mark the birthday of Harlow Niles Higinbotham (October 10, 1838 – April 18, 1919), who served as the third President of the World’s Columbian Exposition Company, following terms of Lyman J. Gage and William T. Baker. The quote below, reprinted in Harriet Monroe’s Harlow Niles Higinbotham: A Memoir with Brief Autobiography and Extracts from Speeches and Letters (R.F. Seymour, 1920) came from a speech that Higinbotham made years after the 1893 World’s Fair, at a banquet for [...]

By Scott|2018-10-09T08:07:53-05:00October 10th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Harlow Higinbotham, Harriet Monroe|0 Comments

Pushing for a Labor Strike at the Fair
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Pushing for a Labor Strike at the Fair

REPRINTS

Pushing for a Labor Strike at the Fair

The American labor movement and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition share an intertwined history. Labor Day became an official U.S. federal holiday in 1894. The official histories of the World’s Fair rarely recognize the back-breaking labor of the working class and largely immigrant labor force that carved the lagoon, constructed the White City, operated the concessions. The following article from the August 16, 1893 issue of the Chicago Inter Ocean, describes one instance of labor unrest at the Fair [...]

By Scott|2018-09-02T11:21:38-05:00September 3rd, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: George R. Davis, Harlow Higinbotham, labor, rolling chairs|0 Comments

Opening Day, Part 12: Tour of the Fairgrounds
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Opening Day, Part 12: Tour of the Fairgrounds

OPENING DAY

Opening Day, Part 12: Tour of the Fairgrounds

Tour of the Fairgrounds This is Part 12 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. After the “Banquet of Nations” luncheon, President Cleveland and his entourage embarked on a whirlwind tour of the Columbian Exposition grounds and buildings. They departed from the north entrance of the Administration Building where carriages were waiting. “President Cleveland [...]

Opening Day, Part 11: The Banquet of Nations
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Opening Day, Part 11: The Banquet of Nations

OPENING DAY

Opening Day, Part 11: The Banquet of Nations

The Banquet of Nations This is Part 11 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. Pushing the button that launched the great transformation scene to open the 1893 World’s Fair was not the end of the duties of the President of the United States on May 1. Escorted to the café Hardly had the Opening [...]

By Scott|2019-08-17T12:11:22-05:00May 2nd, 2018|Categories: OPENING DAY|Tags: Administration Building, Bertha Palmer, Buffalo Bill, Chief No Neck, Duke of Veragua, George R. Davis, Grover Cleveland, Harlow Higinbotham, John Burke, May 1, Thomas W. Palmer|1 Comment

Opening Day, Part 8: The Address by Director-General Davis
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Opening Day, Part 8: The Address by Director-General Davis

OPENING DAY

Opening Day, Part 8: The Address by Director-General Davis

The Address by Director-General Davis This is Part 8 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. The dignitaries on the platform for the Opening Ceremonies. [Image from the Ryerson and Burnham Archives.] As conductor Thomas laid down his ebony baton following the performance the "Rienzi" overture by the Exposition Orchestra, Director-General George R. Davis [...]

By Scott|2018-04-29T07:11:07-05:00April 29th, 2018|Categories: OPENING DAY|Tags: Administration Building, Bertha Palmer, George R. Davis, Grover Cleveland, Harlow Higinbotham, May 1, Thomas W. Palmer|0 Comments

Opening Day, Part 3: A Sea of Humanity
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Opening Day, Part 3: A Sea of Humanity

OPENING DAY

Opening Day, Part 3: A Sea of Humanity

A Sea of Humanity This is Part 3 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. As the procession of the President of the United States began its march south on Michigan Avenue, thousands of people in downtown Chicago began forming their own spontaneous parade to the World’s Fair. Everyone on West Madison Street and North [...]

Opening Day, Part 2: Presidential Procession to the Fairgrounds
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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 [...]

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – The Administration Building (p. 42)
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PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – The Administration Building (p. 42)

REPRINTS

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – The Administration Building (p. 42)

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 42 – THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING.—The heart of the great entity known as the Columbian Exposition was in the Administration Building. Here were the offices of the Presidents and here, also, those of the Director-General and some of his immediate lieutenants. From here the vast machinery was directed and controlled, and about here as a nucleus thronged the multitude preliminary to any great festal occasion. It was [...]

By Randy|2018-03-24T06:19:40-05:00March 24th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Administration Building, George R. Davis, Grand Basin, Harlow Higinbotham, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR|0 Comments

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 4)
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Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 4)

REPRINTS

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 4)

[Previous installments of this series include Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.] "John Root made the Fair until he died," asserted Owen F. Aldis. We present this fourth part of Harriet Monroe’s “The World's Columbian Exposition” from John Wellborn Root: A Study of His Life and Work (Houghton, Mifflin & Company, 1896) on the anniversary of John Root’s death, on January 15, 1891. In this section, Monroe describes the continuing chaos and “hot war” in the fall of [...]

By Scott|2018-03-11T14:45:27-05:00January 15th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Charles Hutchinson, Frederick Law Olmsted, Harlow Higinbotham, Harriet Monroe, Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair, Henry Codman, Jackson Park, John Root, Lake Front Park, Owen F. Aldis, South Park Board, Washington Park|0 Comments