World’s Columbian Exposition Chicago 1893 – Collection of chromolithographic images, a souvenir from the largest world exposition of the 19th century held to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the American continent.
The folder includes connected images (unfolded to form a chain) of various scenes from the giant exhibition – an aerial view of the exhibition’s huts and different buildings where the various displays were held such as the library, the casino, the Women’s Building, Columbus picture, and more.
The World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, was the largest world exposition of the 19th century and was dedicated to celebrating the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. The exposition took place in Chicago from May 1 to October 31, 1893. The exhibition covered an area of 2.4 square kilometers, at the center of which was built the “White City, ” a complex of 200 buildings surrounding an artificial lagoon. The exposition featured many innovations of the time, including motion picture technology, dishwashing machines, the world’s first Ferris wheel, and neon lighting. In addition, relatively “older” discoveries such as the telephone, electric lighting, the electric motor, and more were demonstrated to the general public for the first time. The work on the site began in 1891 by 40,000 workers, including Walt Disney’s father, Elias, whose stories about the place inspired his son to establish the famous amusement park. The construction work was of such public interest that at some point, tickets were sold for 25 cents just to view the construction work. At the opening ceremony on May 1, in the courtyard of honor, about 100,000 people were present, and watched as U.S. President Grover Cleveland activated an electric motor from a golden lever that operated a water jet and marked the opening of the exposition. The number of visitors to the exposition was 27.5 million people (slightly less than half the total population of the United States at that time)!
Folder: 23 cm. Unfolds to 15 images, 115 cm in length. Ornate red cover with gold stamping. Minor stains on cover. Condition good – very good.
