William Dodge Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Library of Congress (video)
Gallery
The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Library of Congress (video)

NEWS, VIDEO

The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Library of Congress (video)

C-SPAN is streaming a recorded lecture on “The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the Library of Congress.” In this talk, originally presented for the United States Capitol Historical Society (USCHS) on October 13, 2020, art historian Lynda Cooper reconstructs the relationship between the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago and the Library of Congress’s Thomas Jefferson Building (1889–1897) in Washington, D.C. Working from an art history perspective, Cooper describes the influence the exposition had on the artists [...]

By Scott|2022-03-10T18:43:33-06:00November 24th, 2020|Categories: NEWS, VIDEO|Tags: Elihu Vedder, Gari Melchers, Library of Congress, William Dodge|0 Comments

Inside the Administration Building Dome: “The Glorification of the Arts and Sciences” by William Dodge (Part II)
Gallery
Inside the Administration Building Dome: “The Glorification of the Arts and Sciences” by William Dodge (Part II)

HISTORY

Inside the Administration Building Dome: “The Glorification of the Arts and Sciences” by William Dodge (Part II)

[Part I of this article describes Dodge’s commission to paint a mural for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and his work to create The Glorification of the Arts and Sciences.] PART II: THE PROCESSION BEFORE THE THRONE OF APOLLO “… illuminated by the opal-like circle of light at the summit, Dodge’s great picture crowns the whole, with its circling procession of arts and sciences, gods and muses, nymphs and graces, and Apollos radiant in the midst.” —Lawrence L. Lynch in [...]

By Scott|2022-10-10T09:00:56-05:00September 23rd, 2018|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Administration Building, Francis Millet, Glorification of the Arts, Julian Hawthorne, Karl Bitter, Library of Congress, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Richard Hunt, Royal Cortissoz, William Dodge|0 Comments

Rolling-Chair Romances
Gallery
Rolling-Chair Romances

REPRINTS

Rolling-Chair Romances

Recruit eight-hundred young college men to the fairgrounds of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and assign them to work as escorts for young, attractive women. The situation is fraught with danger, advised the Chicago Record in an article appearing in May of 1893. The annotated news story reprinted below aimed to expose the “rolling romances” formed at the World’s Fair between the wheel-chair pushers—young men with a “very attentive attitude”—and their pert payload. Victorian-era readers (even those in gritty [...]

By Scott|2018-09-02T10:31:09-05:00September 4th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Administration Building, Glorification of the Arts, John Wanamaker, rolling chairs, William Dodge|0 Comments

Inside the Administration Building Dome: “The Glorification of the Arts and Sciences” by William Dodge (Part I)
Gallery
Inside the Administration Building Dome: “The Glorification of the Arts and Sciences” by William Dodge (Part I)

HISTORY

Inside the Administration Building Dome: “The Glorification of the Arts and Sciences” by William Dodge (Part I)

PART I: DECORATING THE DOME OF THE ADMINISTRATION BUILDING “Fame comes only after death to those who have slaved during life.” —William de Leftwich Dodge The gem and crown of the Exposition Along with the Ferris Wheel and the Statue of the Republic, this magnificent structure is one of the most iconic images of the 1893 World’s Fair. With its grand and golden dome, the Administration Building towered over the fairgrounds from a commanding position of honor at the [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:33:42-06:00September 2nd, 2018|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Administration Building, Daniel Burnham, Francis Millet, Frederick MacMonnies, Glorification of the Arts, Grover Cleveland, Horticultural Building, MacMonnies Fountain, Opening Day, Princess Eulalia, Richard Hunt, William Dodge, William Pretyman|1 Comment