World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893
World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. These international expositions brought together nations to display advancements in technology, industry, art, and science, often reflecting the aspirations and challenges of their times. Iconic inventions—such as the telephone, the Ferris wheel, and television—were introduced to the world, while cross-cultural exchange and collaboration flourished.
Beyond technological marvels, these fairs embodied a sense of optimism, inspiring societies to imagine what could be achieved through human ingenuity and cooperation. They fostered national pride, promoted modernization, and expressed a collective yearning for peace and unity.
Art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into three pivotal world’s fairs, examining how these landmark events showcased their eras’ most groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, art, and architecture.
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Chicago, 1893: World's Columbian Exposition
The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 was a landmark event for many reasons. Open from May to October, the fair commemorated the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to the Americas, transformed Chicago into the “White City” in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and drew more than 20 million visitors before its grand closing. Spearheaded by Daniel Burnham, John Root, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Henry Codman, the fair was strategically located in Jackson Park, south of downtown. Smithsonian curator George Browne Goode was brought in to oversee the organization of the fair’s diverse exhibition categories.
Designed with a striking emphasis on water, the fair featured a dramatic Beaux-Arts style Court of Honor—its gleaming white facades earning the fair site its nickname—surrounding a grand reflecting pool. A lagoon and island further enhanced the landscape’s visual impact. Showcasing advancements in electricity, mining, transportation, and agriculture, the fair also reinforced ideas of American exceptionalism. The Midway Plaisance—stretching between Jackson and Washington Parks—offered a more vibrant atmosphere, featuring international entertainment, attractions, and refreshments.
Through plans, photographs, and ephemera, Hirsh revisits this extraordinary exposition, highlighting key national pavilions, government buildings, and the Women’s Building—an important showcase of women’s contributions to the fair. She also explores the emergence of ragtime, the fair’s influence on architecture and urban planning, and its lasting cultural legacy, offering a nuanced look at one of the most influential world's fairs in history.
Additional Sessions of the Age of World's Fairs Series
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