#world's fairs

[uwmspeccoll]

Decorative Sunday

The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations was held in London’s Hyde Park from May 1 - October 15, 1851. Modeled after, and perhaps as a rival to, the successful Exposition des produits de l'industrie française in Paris, it was the first of a series of World’s Fairs that continue to the present day (called Expos today). Organized by members of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, including Prince Albert and Henry Cole, its purpose was to celebrate the achievements of modern industrial technology and design from around the world, and specifically to demonstrate Britain’s superiority in these fields.

To house the exhibition, the great iron and glass Crystal Palace was built, designed by the celebrated greenhouse designer Joseph Paxton. It was a massive 1848 feet long by 454 feet wide and 128 feet tall, and was dotted with full-grown trees which added a touch of decorative greenery but also emphasized industry’s triumph over nature.

Among the catalogs documenting the exhibition was The Art Journal Illustrated Catalogue: The Industry of All Nations, 1851, shown here, featuring many hundreds of wood engravings of the venue and the decorative artifacts on display. The catalog was printed by Bradbury and Evans for George Virtue’s London periodical The Art Journal. The Journal’s editor and former owner Samuel Carter Hall personally engraved 150 illustrations of items from the private collection of the Queen and Prince Albert for this volume.

View more posts about decorative arts and pattern books.

[saturdaynightlivedork]

Anyone gonna tell them that Alexander Graham Bell was actually born in Scotland? 🤭

[uicspecialcollections]

Happy National Canoe Day!

“Canoe tilting, which gives the unlucky loser a sudden ducking, is one of the many water sports provided for the amusement of visitors at the Swift's Bridge of the new Chicago World's Fair.”

We couldn’t choose just one canoe-related image, so we have three from three different digital collections. For more information, Ask A Librarian!

FPDCC_00_01_0010_040, Forest Preserve District of Cook County Records, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library.

COP_17_0005_00215_001, Century of Progress World’s Fair, 1933-1934,  Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library.

SMC_014B_0047, Sheet Music Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago Library.

[hagleyvault]

December 15th is the birthday of Gustave Eiffel, the man whose company designed and built the Eiffel Tower as the entrance to the 1889 Paris World’s Fair.  Here, we share two pages from the lovely Exposition universelle internationale de 1889 à Paris, ( * ff N4803 .A86), in Hagley’s Published Collections. We strongly recommend perusing the pages in our Digital Archives.

[saturdaynightlivedork]

ESTPs who don’t care for that 1893 expo or the guy whom it celebrates: you can choose any World’s Fair you want. I highly suggest the Centennial Exposition (Philadelphia, 1876).

(Edited because it was the Centennial Exposition, not the Centennial Exhibition.)

[uicspecialcollections]

#World’s Fair Wednesday

View of the Hall of Science building from the Century of Progress Skyride.

To find out more about the Century of Progress World’s Fair that took place in Chicago in 1933-34, visit the Century of Progress collection finding aids or check out other photos in this digital collection: Images of Progress: Views from A Century of Progress International Exposition, 1933-1934.  

[COP_17_0009_00288_020], Century of Progress Records, 1927-1952, University of Illinois at Chicago Library.

[hagleyvault]

For our next #PageFrights installment, we’re sharing this photo (and a few-close-ups) taken at the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair. It may look like the last scene of Rosemary’s Baby, but the caption reads:

Eileen Leonard visits the home of some miniature World’s Fair performers, at the du Pont “Wonder World of Chemistry” building. A marionette show is used to sum up the story of chemical research and its relation to the lives of the average American family. The little chap is perched on the lady’s knee is the guide. The Tatterman group, under the direction of William I. Duncan, is producing the show. 

From Accession 1982.304, photos of DuPont’s presence at World’s Fairs, in Hagley’s Audiovisual Archives.

[hagleyvault]

This World’s Fair Wednesday, we’re sharing a few pages from this ca. 1939 pamphlet promoting Canada Dry, the “champagne of ginger ales”, and reminding consumers of the Canada Dry Exhibit at the New York World’s Fair. It also contains some very tempting recipes. Ham a la Canada Dry, anyone?

“When it’s party time it’s Canada Dry Time” is Pam 2000.190 in Hagley’s Published Collections.