World’s Fairs and Expositions

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Collection Description

World’s fairs were landmark events in an era before television and the World Wide Web, before long-distance travel became a routine experience for many people. The Wolfsonian’s collection traces the evolution of the fairs, from the 1851 Crystal Palace Exposition in London to the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Among the world’s fair material in the collection are souvenirs and other commemorative objects, drawings for the pavilions, objects and artwork that were displayed at the fairs, and a vast amount of publications, from multi-volume official catalogs to brochures.

Souvenir Handkerchief from the Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco
History of Eire: mural study for Irish Pavilion at the New York World's Fair, 1939
Esposizione Nazionale di Palermo Medal
Design for promotional materials for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco
Night light from A Century of Progress, Chicago: Federal Building
Plate from the Philadelphia Exhibition 1876
Allgemeine Kriegsgräber-Ausstellung Graz 1918 [United War-Grave Exhibition]
Souvenir plate from A Century of Progress, Chicago: Federal Building, Court of States
New York World's Fair 1939
Ausstellung Nürnberg 1935 100 Jahre Deutsche Eisenbahnen [Exhibition Nuremburg 1935 100 Years German Railways]
Teaspoon from the New York World's Fair, 1939
Design for promotional materials for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco: A Pageant of the Pacific
Worpswede IX Ausstellung 1903 [Worpswede IX Exhibition 1903]
Österreich auf der Weltausstellung Paris 1900 [Austria at the World's Fair Paris 1900]
World's Fair - Chicago 1833 A Century of Progress 1933