Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair Archives

Pillars of the Fair: John Root and Henry Codman
Gallery
Pillars of the Fair: John Root and Henry Codman

HISTORY, LOST & FOUND

Pillars of the Fair: John Root and Henry Codman

Two pillars of the 1893 World’s Fair died unexpectedly before they could complete their work on the fairgrounds. Even the preliminary architectural contributions of both men, however, played a monumental role in the success of the Columbian Exposition. So, it was fitting that a small monument to the memory of these two leading designers graced the fairgrounds. John Wellborn Root (left) and Henry Sargent Codman (right). Glorious achievements January 13 marks the anniversary of the death of [...]

By Scott|2022-12-10T10:11:00-06:00January 13th, 2019|Categories: HISTORY, LOST & FOUND|Tags: Columbian Fountain, Daniel Burnham, Devil in the White City (book), Field Museum, Frederick Law Olmsted, Harriet Monroe, Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair, Henry Codman, John Root, MacMonnies Fountain, Museum of Science and Industry, Palace of Fine Arts|2 Comments

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 5)
Gallery
Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 5)

REPRINTS

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 5)

[Previous installments of this series include Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.] This fifth 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) describes how John Root in late 1890 assembled the “best fruit” of American architecture to design the buildings of the 1893 World’s Fair. Part 5: Expect to be Judged by the World Root looked upon the Columbian Exposition [...]

By Scott|2018-09-02T18:35:30-05:00January 17th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: George Post, Grounds and Buildings Committee, Harriet Monroe, Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair, Jackson Park, John Root, McKim Mead and White, Peabody & Stearns, Richard Hunt, Van Brunt & Howe|0 Comments

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

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 3)
Gallery
Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 3)

REPRINTS

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 3)

[Previous installments of this series include Part 1 and Part 2] Today marks the 125th anniversary of the passing of Henry Sargent Codman, who died unexpectedly while recovering from an appendectomy on January 13, 1893, at the young age of 29. As Frederick Law Olmsted's protégé, Codman influenced the design of the Columbian Exposition fairgrounds in substantial and creative ways, as described in this third part of Harriet Monroe’s “The World's Columbian Exposition” from John Wellborn Root: A Study [...]

By Scott|2018-03-11T14:45:39-05:00January 13th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Frederick Law Olmsted, Harriet Monroe, Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair, Henry Codman, Jackson Park, John Root, Lake Front Park, shirt plan, Washington Park|0 Comments

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 2)
Gallery
Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 2)

REPRINTS

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 2)

[Part 1 of this series can be found here] This second 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) begins with a look at how architect John Root in 1890 was thinking about the “alluring problem” of how and where Chicago might host the upcoming World’s Fair. Mentioned in this section is Horace G. H. Tarr (1844-1922), who served during the Civil War [...]

By Scott|2018-03-11T14:45:50-05:00January 11th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Harriet Monroe, Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair, Horace G. H. Tarr, John Root, Jules Wegman, Owen F. Aldis|0 Comments

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 1)
Gallery
Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 1)

REPRINTS

Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair (Part 1)

“The World’s Columbian Exposition has never been so well revealed and appreciated as through her imagination and her eyes,” wrote renowned poet William Carlos Williams, describing fellow poet and publisher Harriet Monroe (1860–1936). “And her part in it was distinguished.” Two of Monroe’s distinguished accomplishments served as bookends to the 1893 World’s Fair. The Dedication Day Ceremony held on the fairgrounds on October 21, 1892, featured a reading of an excerpt of her monumental poem “The Columbian Ode.” Harriet [...]

By Scott|2024-04-04T11:39:23-05:00January 9th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: 1889 Exposition Universelle, Columbian Ode, Frederick Law Olmsted, Grounds and Buildings Committee, Harriet Monroe, Harriet Monroe’s History of the World’s Fair, John Root, Lake Front Park, New York, West Side parks|0 Comments