World's Fair and Exposition Collection, 1882-1985

This collection is an amalgamation of graphic and textual materials relating to fairs, expositions, and Olympic Games held in and proposed for both Western Europe and the United States during the later quarter of the 19th and throughout the 20th century. Well-documented and notably influential events, such as Paris's Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes of 1925 and the Exposition Universelle de 1889 are documented in this collection alongside less renowned fairs such as the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894, held concurrently with the World's Columbian Exposition and planned and organized by Californian boosters seeking to enhance the stature of their frontier state. Other European events documented include the Bayerische Landes- Industrie- Gewerbe- und Kunstausstellung (1882, Nürnberg, Germany), the Exposition Universelle Internationale de 1900 (1900, Paris, France), and the Exposition Coloniale Internationale de Paris (1931, Paris, France). Other events held in or proposed for the U.S. include the Milwaukee Industrial Exposition (1886, Milwaukee, Wisconsin), one of the many International Petroleum Expositions, (c.1931-1941, Tulsa, OK), the National Orange Show (1932, San Bernardino, CA), the Tenth Olympic Games (1932, Los Angeles, CA), the Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940, San Francisco, CA), and the proposed 1992 Chicago World's Fair (1992, Chicago, IL).

Comprised of photographs, postcards, and printed materials, the vast majority of this collection is pictorial in nature. The images in this collection document most heavily the exteriors of select fair and exposition buildings, though some event groups contain general site, interior building, crowd, and night views. Note that many of the postcards in this series described as 'renderings' are actually heavily colorized and graphically embellished photographic images and consequently are neither true renderings nor true photographic views.

This collection is arranged chronologically by event. Within each event group, organizational schemes vary. Events represented by a large group of materials are divided into files, and within these files materials are generally arranged by building or site name. The Exposition Universelle de 1889 materials are arranged into three files: General Site Views, National Buildings, and Other Buildings and Sites. The 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes and 1931 the Exposition Coloniale Internationale de Paris groups are both arranged similarly to those of the 1889 Fair but with the addition of a fourth file, Night Views.

• Subject
  • Bayerische Landes- Industrie- Gewerbe- und Kunstausstellung (1882 : Nürnberg, Germany)
  • California Midwinter International Exposition (1894 : San Francisco, Calif.)
  • Exposition coloniale internationale de Paris (1931)
  • Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes (1925 : Paris, France)
  • Exposition universelle de 1889 (Paris, France)
  • Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)
  • Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940 : San Francisco, Calif.)
  • International Petroleum Exposition, Tulsa, Okla.
  • Milwaukee Industrial Exposition (1886 : Milwaukee, Wis.)
  • National Orange Show (1932 : San Bernardino, Calif.)
  • New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)
  • New York World's Fair (1964-1965 : New York, N.Y.)
  • Olympic Games (10th : 1932 : Los Angeles, Calif.)
  • World's Fair (1992 : Chicago, Ill.)
  • Exhibitions--California--San Bernardino.
  • Exhibitions--California--San Francisco.
  • Exhibitions--France--Paris.
  • Exhibitions--Germany--Nürnberg.
  • Exhibitions--Oklahoma--Tulsa.
  • Exhibitions--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

AIC

BOX.FF

c.

n.d.

Portf.

World's Columbian Exposition Collection, 00.12.

World's Columbian Exposition Photographs by C.D. Arnold, 1989.2.

the Century of Progress Collection, 00.18.

New York World's Fair Collection, 2002.2.

This collection may be accessed by users in the Reading Room of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries at The Art Institute of Chicago. Collections maintained on-site are available for patron use without prior arrangement or appointment. Collections maintained in off-site storage will be retrieved with advance notification; please consult the Archivist for the current retrieval schedule. For further information, consult https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections/contact-usage-and-faq.

The Art Institute of Chicago is providing access to the materials in the Archives’ collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of the Art Institute is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, Art Institute of Chicago Archives. In addition to permission from the Art Institute, permission of the copyright owner (if not the Art Institute) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distribution, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. The Art Institute makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

World's Fair and Exposition collection, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

This collection consists of materials purchased by the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries in October and November of 2005. Additional materials were donated by Elizabeth DeSpirt Pilot in 2016.

This collection was processed by Nathaniel Parks in January 2006. Additional materials were added by Melissa Nye in 2013, Fallon Pfeiffer in 2017 and Alexandra Jaeckel in 2018.

Materials purchased by the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries in October 2005 were previously part of the World's Fair Collection of Alfred Heller. Materials relating to the proposed 1992 World's Fair were transferred from the Architects' and Designers' Papers (00.5) in April 2006.

New materials may be added to this collection on an irregular basis.