Columbian Exposition, Reflecting Pool, 1893


The Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. A view of the reflecting pool traversed by several bridges and several Exposition buildings. The World's Columbian Exposition was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World in 1492. Most of the buildings of the fair were designed in the neoclassical architecture style. The area at the Court of Honor was known as The White City. Facades were made not of stone, but of a mixture of plaster, cement, and jute fiber called staff, which was painted white, giving the buildings their "gleam". Architecture critics derided the structures as "decorated sheds". The buildings were clad in white stucco, which, in comparison to the tenements of Chicago, seemed illuminated. It was also called the White City because of the extensive use of street lights, which made the boulevards and buildings usable at night. The Smithsonian coordinated all of the Government exhibits and prepared a display on its activities and collections for the Exposition. No photographer credited.


Size: 4200px × 3297px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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