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.
July 28 London, 1851: The Origins
Recognized as the first world's fair, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations was held in London between May and October 1851. Organized by a royal commission led by Sir Henry Cole and Prince Albert (consort of Queen Victoria), the fair celebrated the advancements of the Industrial Revolution in Joseph Paxton’s famed Crystal Palace—a marvel of glass and iron engineering made possible by the Chance Brothers' innovations in sheet glass.
Showcasing advancements in manufactured goods, raw materials, fine arts, and industrial products, the exhibition underscored the interplay of culture, industry, and free trade, which had gained prominence after the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. With half its exhibits from Britain, the event asserted the nation's industrial dominance and surpassed earlier fairs in France and Germany.
Attracting over 6 million visitors across social classes, the Great Exhibition was a resounding success. Its profits funded the creation of key cultural institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Through plans and illustrations, Hirsh explores the fair’s organization, key displays, the fate of the Crystal Palace, and how the 1851 exhibition set lasting standards for future fairs.
August 18 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.
September 29 Paris, 1900: The Exposition Universelle
The largest world's fair held to date, the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle was a pivotal event that bridged the 19th and 20th centuries. Led by Alfred Picard, head of the fair's governing commission, this exposition that attracted over 50 million visitors introduced a range of monumental architectural projects, many of which continue to shape the skyline of Paris today. Under Picard’s guidance, iconic structures such as the Grand Palais, designed by Henri Deglane, Louis-Albert Louvet, and Albert Thomas; the Petit Palais by Charles-Louis Girault; and the Pont Alexandre III became permanent fixtures, transforming the city’s landscape.
Hirsh delves into the lasting significance of these architectural marvels, along with the displays presented in the national pavilions of more than 40 participating countries. She also examines the controversial Porte Monumentale, a dramatic entrance to the fair designed by René Binet, and key Art Nouveau buildings, including the Gare d'Orsay train and hotel complex created to support fairgoers’ travel and lodging needs. Hector Guimard’s Métro stations, with their unmistakable organic style, further solidified the fair’s legacy. Highlighting groundbreaking technological innovations, the Exposition Universelle also showcased fine and decorative arts, with exhibitions held in the Grand Palais, Petit Palais, and the Vincennes annex. Hirsh provides a virtual tour of this world’s fair, one of the most influential in history, illustrating how it both reflected the past and embraced the promise of new technologies.
3 sessions
General Information
