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Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Badges, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

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

Buildings, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Maps, Leaflets, Maps, Souvenirs, Pamphlets

International Exhibition of Industry, Science, and Art (1886 : Edinburgh, Scotland)

Architecture, Albumen prints, Photographs

Paris Universal Exposition of 1878

Art, Badges, Ephemera

Internationale Koloniale en Uitvoerhandel Tentoonstelling (1883 : Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Art, Game Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Maps, Maps, Ephemera

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Ticket, Tickets, Ephemera

Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.)

Maps, Viewbooks, Pamphlets

New York World's Fair (1939-1940)

Buildings, Periodical Illustrations, Pamphlets

New York World's Fair (1939-1940)

Periodical Illustrations, Buildings, Pamphlets

Exposition internationale (1937 : Paris, France)

Buildings, Periodical Illustrations, Pamphlets

Exposition internationale (1937 : Paris, France)

Buildings, Periodical Illustrations, Pamphlets

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

New York World's Fair (1939-1940)

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards, Ephemera

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

Art, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

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

Art, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Advertisements, Ephemera

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

Art, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Advertisements, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Music, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Advertisements, Ephemera

Exposition universelle de Paris en 1855

Periodical Illustrations, Buildings, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Photomechanical prints, Buildings, Prints

New York Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations (1853-1854)

Music, Lithographs, Music

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Ticket, Tickets, Ephemera

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Ticket, Tickets, Ephemera

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Ticket, Tickets, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Advertisements, Circular, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Advertising cards, Ephemera

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Aaron Zephir

This 11 by 14 inch photogravure of the great Administration Building at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 was taken from a set of 25 drawings of the exposition buildings. It was the main focus of the fair, and one of the masterpieces of its architect, Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895). With its fine classical detailing and sweeping scale, this large building was integral to the "White City" concept of the fair. To this day it remains one of the most recognizable landmarks associated with the Columbian Exposition.

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

Christopher Jinks

In 1906, San Francisco was rocked by a devastating earthquake. The city was essentially leveled. Amazingly, only nine years later the same San Francisco played host to one of the most successful and impressive World's Fairs to date. Not only had the city recovered from the disaster, but it had also been improved upon. The Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915 put the revitalized city on display.

Great Exhibition (1851 : London, England)

Manpreet Singh

No one will ever know what really did happen that night

Great Exhibition (1851 : London, England)

Buildings, Gelatin silver print, Photographs

New York Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations (1853-1854)

Maps, Maps, Ephemera

London International Exhibition

Art, Catalogs

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Advertising Cards, Ephemera

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Art, Tickets, Ephemera

Exposition universelle de 1889 (Paris, France)

Buildings, Lithographs, Pamphlets

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Buildings, Lithographs, Prints

World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)

Buildings, Photogravures, Prints

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

Buildings, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards, Ephemera

Sydney International Exhibition (1879)

Buildings, Catalogs, Pamphlets

New York World's Fair (1939-1940)

James Yu

As the 1939 New York World's Fair was divided into many different thematic zones, its planners wanted a central symbol for this event. The original idea was to have a theme center, with twin 250 feet towers and a semicircular hall to display dioramas. Wallace K. Harrison, a prominent New York architect of the Harrison Fouilhoux firm, was selected to design the theme center in November 1936. Harrison wanted a design that would represent a new architecture concept. In his own words, "we found ourselves constantly referring to the domes and campaniles of Venice, perhaps because the flat country and water of the Fair grounds are very like that of the site of Venice and in addition the sky color of New York is practically the same." (Newhouse,82) The idea of a large dome was a starting point for all further designs, and many different ideas were ini...

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 universelle de 1889 (Paris, France)

Liz Tymkiw

The 1889 Exposition Universelle, like all other nineteenth century fairs, was mainly concerned with the progress and modernization the "civilized" world had undergone. While many exhibits like the Exposition de l'Economie Sociale and the Galerie des Machines demonstrated new social and economic breakthroughs, others were devoted to the past and to less "developed" cultures. The Street of Cairo exemplified this dichotomy, but a better example was Charles Garnier's Histoire de l'Habitation Humaine. Garnier was a French architect, born in 1825, best known for his design of the Paris Opera House. He was also recognized for his extensive work on the Histoire de l'Habitation Humaine; a subject on which he wrote a book published in 1892, explaining motivation and purpose for the exhibit. According to Nils Muller-Scheessel, who has studied the represen...

Exposition universelle et internationale (1958 : Brussels, Belgium)

Aaron Zephir

These photographs taken from a 1958 issue of Philips Technical Review depict the Philips Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Located in a small site next to the Dutch section and away from the center of the fair, the pavilion hosted a futuristic multimedia display featuring images, colored lighting and music and sounds called the "Po??me Electronique." Some of the greatest artistic minds of the twentieth century were involved in its creation, including the architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965) and the composer Edgard Var??se (1883-1965). But most importantly, the Philips Pavilion represented an important artistic phenomenon through its synthesis of architecture, visual media and music.

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Advertisements, Photographs, Ephemera

1876-phi-08-0028

New York World's Fair (1939-1940)

Buildings, Periodical Illustrations, Pamphlets

Exposition internationale (1937 : Paris, France)

Buildings, Periodical Illustrations, Pamphlets

Exposition internationale (1937 : Paris, France)

Maps, Maps, Pamphlets

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Music, Advertisements, Leaflets, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

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

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards, Ephemera

1876-phi-08-0002

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Landscape, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera