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New York World's Fair (1939-1940)

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940 : San Francisco, Calif.)

Anna Burrows

In 1939, the city of San Francisco hosted an international exhibition, named the Golden Gate Fair in honor of the construction by the city of the world's two largest suspension bridges, the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland, which spanned the San Francisco Bay. With all the skill that could be mustered by American engineers, an island was constructed amidst the Pacific waters, becoming the largest ever manmade island. Christened Treasure Island, this would be the location of the 1939 Exhibition. The visions of a fair surrounded by the glory of the Pacific Ocean had finally materialized. However, this captivating scene took place as Europe verged on the edge of disaster. Germany had already begun its annexation of neighboring countries and threatened to unleash conflict on a global level. In only two short years the United States would be fu...

Exposition internationale (1937 : Paris, France)

Buildings, Periodical Illustrations, Pamphlets

Great Exhibition (1851 : London, England)

Manpreet Singh

No one will ever know what really did happen that night

Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915 : San Francisco, Calif.)

Postcard, Postcards

Panama-California Exposition (1915 : San Diego, Calif.)

Postcard, Postcards

Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915 : San Francisco, Calif.)

Postcard, Postcards

Franco-British Exhibition (1908 : London, England)

Mariya Levin

This image represents the entrance to Machinery Hall of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition in London. The original is one in a series of 3.5 x 5.5-inch postcards, printed by Valentine & Sons Ltd. The Machinery Hall covered 125,000 square yards. In this image it looks very elaborate, garish, and reminiscent of Gothic architecture. The flags seen on the top of the building are French and British. There are decorations looking like lanterns around the perimeter of the building. Within the context of the fair, the pavilion was vast yet not imposing.

Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 : Saint Louis, Mo.)

Postcard, Postcards

Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 : Saint Louis, Mo.)

Postcard, Postcards

Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.)

Matt Linkswiler

These two images, the bird's eye view and the map of the exposition, are views of the entire exposition grounds. The map can be considered to be a completely accurate plan of the fairgrounds. It is on the back of the October 15th program for the fair, and measures fifteen inches by eight inches. The program, which Time Saver Guidebooks sold for five cents, included all of the events that were scheduled to take place on that day, a few articles about the most popular attractions, and advertisements for restaurants and hotels in the area. The colors of the program are dull and dark, and the layout is simple. The map itself depicts all of the major buildings that hosted events or popular exhibits. A bird's eye view however, is an artistic rendering, and therefore does not necessarily have to be correct. This particular image was found in a pamphle...

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Sesan Iwarere

The Grand Palais served as one of the main buildings that helped solidify France as the supreme leader in the Arts. Like the Eiffel Tower in 1889, it served as a focus for the Exposition. However, the two structures were very different. The Grand Palais placed much greater emphasis on ornamentation. The famous French writer Paul Morand stated that, "while in 1889 architecture was happily on the threshold of an age of iron and steel, in 1900 it had gone back to styles such as those taught at the Beaux-Arts." The Grand Palais incorporated what is commonly referred to as "Beaux-Arts style", which was characterized by formal planning and rich decoration.

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Sesan Iwarere

Along with the Grand Palais and the Pont Alexandre III, the Petit Palais served as one of the main focuses of the International Exhibition of 1900 and helped solidify the position of France as artistic world leader. Despite its inferiority in size to the Grand Palais, contemporary critics noted that the Petit Palais is of "equal importance in creating an impression of the artistic success of the Exhibition" (Boyd, 194). From its inception, it was built to serve as a permanent gallery of painting and sculpture.

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Albumen Prints, Photographs

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Architecture, Postcards, Ephemera