Chicago's Two World's Fairs

Two world’s fairs. Forty years apart. The World’s Columbian Exposition and the A Century Of Progress Exposition were both hosted in Chicago.

Intended to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s landfall in the Americas, the World’s Columbian Exposition showcased new technology, fine art, horticulture, transportation advances, and displays from participating countries and US states.

Four decades later, the A Century of Progress Exposition came to symbolize hope for Chicago’s and America’s future during the Great Depression. However, both fairs were marred by problematic representations of different cultures or a lack of representation of African Americans, women, other marginalized groups, and much of the world.

Below, you’ll find digital resources related to the fairs, from religious representation to transportation innovations to food and drink to discourse around cultural erasure. We’ll also examine how the two fairs have affected the Museum’s collecting practices.

Visit the Abakanowicz Research Center’s LibGuide on the world’s fairs to find more resources.

i025158_pm Bird's-eye view of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893. American Fine Art Co. CHM, ICHi-025158
i061640_pm Night view of the dedication of the World's Columbian Exposition world's fair on State Street, Chicago, Oct. 21, 1892. CHM, ICHi-0616403
i040939 Cover of the booklet "The reason why the colored American is not in the World's Columbian Exposition: The Afro-American's contribution to Columbian literature," by Ida B. Wells. CHM, ICHi-040939
i031117_pm Northerly Island and lagoon at the A Century of Progress Exposition, Chicago, Sept. 9, 1933. CHM, ICHi-031117
hb02271b_pm The Burlington Zephyr at the A Century of Progress Exposition, 1933. HB-02271-B, CHM, Hedrich-Blessing Collection
DN-A-1563_pm View of the Native American Village at A Century of Progress Exposition, Chicago, 1933. DN-A-1563, Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection, CHM.

The Souvenirs and Stories of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition

CHM curator of religion and community history Rebekah Coffman writes about CHM’s collection of souvenirs contemporary to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and how they inform the stories we tell today.

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Ida B. Wells at the World's Columbian Exposition

As an activist, educator, and journalist, Ida B. Wells is the ultimate amplifier. In 1893, she protested the exclusion of African Americans from exhibits at the World’s Columbian Exposition. With contributions by Frederick Douglass, Irvine Garland Penn, and Ferdinand Lee Barnett, Wells published the pamphlet, “The Reason Why the Colored American is not in the World’s Columbian Exposition” and circulated 10,000 copies during the last three months of the fair. The pamphlet is addressed “To the seeker after truth” and contains essays, data, and photographs, with a topical focus on lynching, the prison system, and injustice within the legal system in the 28 years after slavery ended in the United States.

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Poland’s Independent Presence at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition

At the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (WCE), Polish Chicagoans supported their homeland‘s participation despite colonizing empires, mainly Russia and Germany, resisting an independent Polish presence. Polish artists, musicians, and industrialists still displayed and performed for an international audience.

Polish-Day-WCE-Ribbon

Commemorating 130 Years of the Parliament of the World’s Religions

Chicago welcomed the convening of the Parliament of the World’s Religions at McCormick Place from August 14–18, 2023. CHM curator of religion and community history Rebekah Coffman writes about the event’s origins and its legacy as the genesis of the interfaith movement.

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“What shall I wear at the World’s Fair in Chicago?”

CHM research and insights analyst Marissa Croft writes about the gap in experience between high society dress and visitors to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition who traveled in from all over the world to attend.

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The Pioneering Mexican Dancers of the 1933 World’s Fair

At the 1933–34 A Century of Progress International Exposition, visitors were wowed by two professional dancers at the Mexican Village. The husband-and-wife dance team of Alfredo Cano and Bertha “Rosita” Musquiz enchanted audience members with their bright and intricate garments and traditional Mexican dances, bailes folkloricos, which often tell intricate stories and legends as part of the performance.

Alfredo and Rosita, Flamenco dance team

The Pioneer: The Little Locomotive That Could

The Pioneer locomotive endures as the historical artifact that could. Despite often being overshadowed by larger and more dynamic objects, it has managed to appear (with some modifications to its appearance over the years) at every significant Chicago fair and festival from the 1880s through the 1940s, including both the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the 1933–34 A Century of Progress International Exposition, before finding its forever home at the Chicago History Museum.

The Pioneer locomotive, the first locomotive, arrived in Chicago in 1848.

Orange Cider at the 1893 World’s Fair: Drink of the Gods or Soul-Destroying Concoction?

CHM research and insights analyst Marissa Croft teams up with YouTuber Kaz Rowe to share a tale of two ciders at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

A Tale of Two Orange Ciders

Foods of the 1893 World’s Fair

The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (WCE) opened Chicago’s doors to millions and allowed the US to show off what it had to offer. While replete with memorable architecture and technological innovations, the many culinary offerings throughout the White City and the Midway Plaisance enticed and enchanted the palates of all those who came through the fair.

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The Rand is Quicker Than the Eye

At the 1933–34 A Century of Progress International Exposition, Sally Rand performed her infamous fan dance, which enthralled an estimated 2 million visitors and made the Streets of Paris one of the most profitable concessions at the fair. However, her performance was not without controversy. Local authorities deemed her act “lewd and lascivious.”

In this blog post, CHM costume collection manager Jessica Pushor writes about Sally Rand and how a pair of her fans made their way into the Museum’s costume collection.

Fan dancer, Sally Rand, performs at the Chicago Historical Society
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