Victoria House Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

170. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Promenade and Beach
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170. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Promenade and Beach

REPRINTS

170. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Promenade and Beach

THE PROMENADE AND BEACH.—Without the famous Promenade along the shore of Lake Michigan, the Columbian Exposition would have lacked one of its attractive features. The great body of blue water, over which came cooling breezes in the hottest days of midsummer, rested the eye after the visitor had become sated, if that were possible, with the glories of the Fair, and the Promenade and Beach afforded a pleasant walking or lounging place, as the case might be. The shadows [...]

By admin|2024-12-24T16:35:39-06:00December 24th, 2024|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Canada Building, Lake Michigan, Life Saving Station, Military Encampment (Government Plaza), PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR, Victoria House|0 Comments

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – Victoria House (p. 79)
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PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – Victoria House (p. 79)

REPRINTS

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – Victoria House (p. 79)

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 78 – VICTORIA HOUSE VICTORIA HOUSE.—Great Britain's Building, known as Victoria House, was hardly what might have been expected from the Mother Country. It cost $80,000, was not a particularly imposing structure, though by no means ungraceful, and was closed to the public most of the time. It occupied a charming position on the lake front, being the only structure east of the Lake Promenade. It was a Gothic, [...]

By Randy|2019-05-12T09:49:33-05:00May 18th, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Albert Memorial, Great Britain, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR, Victoria House|0 Comments

Libraries at the Columbian Exposition
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Libraries at the Columbian Exposition

REPRINTS

Libraries at the Columbian Exposition

“Extremes meet at Chicago.” —librarian Caroline Harwood Garland. The 1893 World’s Fair was full of contrasts: exotic dancing on the Midway and educational exhibits; fountains illuminated by electricity and bibles illuminated by paintings, dynamos and the Dewey decimal system; balloon rides and books. Amidst the Cracker Jack and orange cider was also “food for reflection in the existence of so many libraries.” To celebrate National Library Week, let’s take a look at libraries at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. [...]

By Scott|2024-04-10T16:45:52-05:00April 7th, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Arkansas State Building, Battleship Illinois, Brazil Building, California State Building, Candace Wheeler, Ceylon Building, Children's Building, Clara Doty Bates, Colorado State Building, Costa Rica Building, Dora Wheeler Keith, East India Building, Florida State Building, Germany Building, Guatemala Building, Hamlin Garland, Idaho State Building, Ignacy Paderewski, Illinois State Building, Indiana State Building, Iowa State Building, Java Village, Kansas State Building, Kentucky State Building, Louisiana State Building, Maine State Building, Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, Mary Hartwell Catherwood, Maryland State Building, Mines and Mining Building, Missouri State Building, Music Hall, Nebraska State Building, New York State Building, North Dakota State Building, Ohio, Pennsylvania State Building, rolling chairs, South Dakota State Building, Swedish Building (Sweden), Territory Building, Texas State Building, Theodore Thomas, Tiffany, Turkish Building (Turkey), U.S. Government Building, Utah State Building, Venezuela Building, Victoria House, Virginia State Building, Washington State Building, Wisconsin State Building, Woman's Building|0 Comments

Relics from the Columbian Exposition’s “Victoria House” Up for Sale
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Relics from the Columbian Exposition’s “Victoria House” Up for Sale

ANTIQUES, NEWS

Relics from the Columbian Exposition’s “Victoria House” Up for Sale

Victoria House served as Great Britain’s government building for the 1893 World’s Fair. Remnants of some beautiful carpentry from the original structure have come on the market recently. This World’s Fair relic, however, comes as part of a house on Chicago’s northside, for sale in the range of $739,000. The house at 1911 W. Farwell Avenue in the Roger’s Park neighborhood was built by Andrew Hall, an electrician who worked for a company involved with the 1893 World’s Columbian [...]

By Scott|2019-03-17T18:55:03-05:00March 17th, 2019|Categories: ANTIQUES, NEWS|Tags: Victoria House|0 Comments

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – The Life Saving Station (p. 76)
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PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – The Life Saving Station (p. 76)

REPRINTS

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR – The Life Saving Station (p. 76)

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 76 – THE LIFE SAVING STATION THE LIFE SAVING STATION —The Life Saving Station was a popular institution at the World's Fair. At a certain hour every afternoon the crowd assembled on the lake shore and gazed out over the water, out of which, at a considerable distance, rose a mast, theoretically, that of a vessel submerged beneath. To the mast clung one or more supposedly shipwrecked people awaiting [...]

By Randy|2019-03-10T19:20:34-05:00March 17th, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Government Plaza, Life Saving Station, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR, Victoria House|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 [...]

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS (pp. 17-18)
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PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS (pp. 17-18)

REPRINTS

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS (pp. 17-18)

PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR. AN ELABORATE COLLECTION OF COLORED VIEWS Page 17 THE UNITED STATES BATTLE-SHIP ILLINOIS.—The happy idea of a battle-ship as a part of the naval exhibit at the World's Fair is said to have originated with Commodore R. W. Meade, U. S. N. The result of the conception was the "Illinois," which lay apparently at anchor in Lake Michigan, near Victoria House, and approachable from one of the docks. The "Illinois" was a reproduction of one of [...]

By Randy|2018-03-11T14:39:58-05:00December 24th, 2017|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Battleship Illinois, California State Building, PICTURESQUE WORLD’S FAIR, Victoria House|0 Comments

See the Midway, German Building, and Palace of Fine Arts on Film
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See the Midway, German Building, and Palace of Fine Arts on Film

NEWS, VIDEO

See the Midway, German Building, and Palace of Fine Arts on Film

The Chicago Tribune has posted a video mash-up of Chicago aerial scenes, pairing vintage film footage—shot in 1914 from a dirigible flying over the city—with modern video of the same locations. The German Building (looking south) Of particular interest to fans of the 1893 World’s Fair are scenes of the Midway Plaisance (shown at 3:45 minutes in the video) followed by a fly-over of the 58th Street Beach (at 4:15), where during the fair were the Great [...]

By Scott|2024-02-04T08:48:46-06:00November 13th, 2017|Categories: NEWS, VIDEO|Tags: Battleship Illinois, Field Museum, Germany Building, Midway Plaisance, Museum of Science and Industry, North Pier, Palace of Fine Arts, Victoria House|0 Comments