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

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

Exhibition of Art and Art-Industry (1853 : Dublin, Ireland)

Buildings, Lithographs, Prints

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

Buildings, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

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

Buildings, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

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

Art, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

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

Art, Periodical illustrations, Illustrations

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

Maps, Maps, Pamphlets

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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.

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

Buildings, Stereographs, Photographs

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

David Coleman

In 1901 Cass Gilbert (1859-1934) designed the elaborate hall pictured above for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held in Saint Louis in 1904. This short-lived structure deserves attention, as it was a main focus of the fair and an important benchmark in its designer's career.

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Exposition universelle de 1889 (Paris, France)

Buildings, Albumen prints, Photograph Albums

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Music, Trade cards, Ephemera

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

Landscape, Stereographs, Photographs

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Badges, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Advertisements, Ephemera

Exposition universelle et internationale (1910 : Brussels, Belgium)

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Maps, Maps, Pamphlets

Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris

Plans

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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.)

Reproductions, Cards, Buildings, 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, Stereographs, Albumen prints, Photographs

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

David Coleman

This picture of Memorial Hall is printed on a scarf. Scarves and ribbons were common souvenirs at the early world's fairs. Many visitors, especially those from a different region or country would purchase and wear them to show that they had traveled to the exposition, much like the T-shirt industry today.

London International Exhibition

Buildings, Lithographs

Exposition universelle de 1889 (Paris, France)

Buildings, Albumen prints, Photograph Albums

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Trade cards

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Stereographs, Photographs

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

Buildings, Stereographs, Photographs

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

Holly Griffin

This stereograph offers a view of the Tower of Jewels as seen from Festival Hall at the Panama Pacific International Exposition . Held in 1915, the exposition was one of the largest and most spectacular of all international exhibitions. It marked the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, and celebrated the development of the Pacific Coast as a center of international commerce. In 1906, just two years after the city had begun planning for the fair, San Francisco was devastated by an earthquake, which was followed by a great fire that reduced most of the city to ashes (Mattie 132). The fair was ideally suited to prove to the world that San Francisco had recovered from this disaster (Findling 219).

Expo 67 (Montréal, Québec)

Ly Y. Bui

This map is taken from the Official Souvenir book of Expo '67, sold for one dollar at the fair grounds. This book advertises "three-dimensional maps in color", and depicts the various sections of the fair. Its dimensions are about eight and a half by eleven inches. The image on our website is actually the middle portion of a map formed by the two middle pages of the book, and depicts most of La Ronde district.

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

Art, Photographs, Pamphlets

Paris Universal Exposition of 1878

David Coleman

This depiction of the Statue of Liberty is interesting because of the medium used. Sewn into a ribbon, this image and its caption symbolize a certain aspect of the relationship between France and the United States of America. The Statue of Liberty has served as the single most important symbol of the friendship between the two countries and the ideal of democracy since its unveiling on October 28, 1886. At the time it was the tallest structure in America.

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Advertisements, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Postcards, Souvenirs, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Postcards, Souvenirs, Ephemera

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

Arts, Stereographs, Photographs

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints

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

Buildings, Stereographs, Photographs

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

Ricardo Gonzalez

In the annals of World's Fairs, the 1901 Buffalo fair is listed, as a matter of record. However, it is one of the lesser-remembered fairs. This is not due to a lack of planning or physical appeal, but rather to the fact that on September 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shot and killed at the Temple of Music. This was the kind of event that is so infamous and carries such bad press that it condemns everything it touches, from the setting, the surrounding events, and the people involved, to the same black blanket of notoriety. Due to the President's assassination, the popularity of the Fair spiraled downward. Despite the deploring of the Fair, however, it was home to some remarkable buildings.

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

Buildings, Lithographs, Pamphlets

Exposition universelle et internationale (1910 : Brussels, Belgium)

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

Franco-British Exhibition (1908 : London, England)

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

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

Anna Burrows

The Columbian Exposition was notable for its impressive architecture and large international attendance. Of particular importance was the Women's Pavilion. The first of its kind to have been designed by a female architect, it revealed much about the social plight of women at that time, and the need for further progress in the movement for equal rights. While its existence did not trigger significant changes for the Women's Movement, this pavilion was certainly a promising first step that would set a precedent for women's involvement in later years.

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Advertising cards, Ephemera

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Buildings, Reproductions, Cards, Ephemera

Glasgow International Exhibition (1901)

Art, Advertisements, Leaflets, Pamphlets

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

New York World's Fair (1939-1940)

Periodical Illustrations, Buildings, 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...

New York World's Fair (1939-1940)

Buildings, Periodical Illustrations, Pamphlets

Exposition universelle de 1889 (Paris, France)

Maps, Plans, Pamphlets

Vienna International Exhibition (1873)

Ly Y. Bui

This plan of the Vienna fair of 1873 forms one plate of a pamphlet entitled "Weltausstellung 1873 Wien" which measures about eight by ten inches, and was probably sold at the fair as a souvenir and guide.

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

Buildings, Stereographs, Photographs

Exposition internationale (1937 : Paris, France)

Buildings, Periodical Illustrations, Pamphlets

Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.)

Art, Trade cards, Ephemera

Exposition universelle internationale de 1900 (Paris, France)

Buildings, Postcards, Ephemera

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

Buildings, Photomechanical prints, Prints