The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an
international exposition held in
St. Louis,
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 million were used to finance the event. More than 60 countries and 43 of the then-45 American states maintained exhibition spaces at the fair, which was attended by nearly 19.7 million people.
Historians generally emphasize the prominence of the themes of
race and
imperialism
Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic powe ...
, and the fair's long-lasting impact on
intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator o ...
s in the fields of
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
,
art history
Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...
,
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
and
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
. From the point of view of the memory of the average person who attended the fair, it primarily promoted entertainment, consumer goods and popular culture. The monumental Greco-Roman architecture of this and other fairs of the era did much to influence permanent new buildings and master plans of major cities.
Background
![Louisiana Purchase Exposition St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Louisiana_Purchase_Exposition_St._Louis_1904.jpg)
In 1904, St. Louis hosted a World's Fair to celebrate the centennial of the 1803
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or ap ...
. The idea for such a commemorative event seems to have emerged early in 1898, with
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...
and
St. Louis initially presented as potential hosts for a fair based on their central location within the territory encompassed by the 1803 land annexation.
The exhibition was grand in scale and lengthy in preparation, with an initial $5 million committed by the city of St. Louis through the sale of city bonds was authorized by the Missouri state legislature in April 1899. An additional $5 million was generated through private donations by interested citizens and businesses from around Missouri, a fundraising target reached in January 1901. The final installment of $5 million of the exposition's $15 million capitalization came in the form of earmarked funds that were part of a congressional appropriations bill passed at the end of May 1900. The fundraising mission was aided by the active support of President of the United States
William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in t ...
, which was won by organizers in a February 1899 White House visit.
While initially conceived as a centennial celebration to be held in 1903, the actual opening of the St. Louis exposition was delayed until April 30, 1904, to allow for full-scale participation by more states and foreign countries. The exposition operated until December 1, 1904. During the year of the fair, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition supplanted the annual
St. Louis Exposition of agricultural, trade, and scientific exhibitions which had been held in the city since the 1880s.
![Palace of Liberal Arts](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Palace_of_Liberal_Arts.jpg)
The fair's (1.9 mi) site, designed by
George Kessler,
Handbook of Texas Online
The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA).
History
The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President W ...
KESSLER, GEORGE E.
. Retrieved 18 May 2006. was located at the present-day grounds of
Forest Park
A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment.
Examples Chile
* Forest Park, Santiago
China
* Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai
* Mufushan National Forest ...
and on the campus of
Washington University, and was the largest fair (in area) to date. There were over 1,500 buildings, connected by some of roads and walkways. It was said to be impossible to give even a hurried glance at everything in less than a week. The Palace of Agriculture alone covered some .
Exhibits were staged by approximately 50 foreign nations, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
government, and 43 of the then-45
U.S. states. These featured industries, cities, private organizations and corporations, theater troupes, and music schools. There were also over 50 concession-type amusements found on "The Pike"; they provided educational and scientific displays, exhibits and imaginary 'travel' to distant lands, history and local
boosterism (including
Louis Wollbrinck's "Old St. Louis") and pure entertainment.
Over 19 million (19,694,855, to be precise) individuals were in attendance at the fair.
Aspects that attracted visitors included the buildings and architecture, new foods, popular music, and exotic people on display. American culture was showcased at the fair especially regarding innovations in communication, medicine, and transportation.
Architects
![Louisiana Purchase Exposition Festival Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Louisiana_Purchase_Exposition_Festival_Hall.jpg)
George Kessler, who designed many urban parks in Texas and the Midwest, created the master design for the Fair.
A popular myth says that
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co- ...
, who had died the year before the Fair, designed the park and fair grounds. There are several reasons for this confusion. First, Kessler in his twenties had worked briefly for Olmsted as a
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
gardener. Second, Olmsted was involved with
Forest Park in Queens, New York. Third, Olmsted had planned the renovations in 1897 to the
Missouri Botanical Garden several blocks to the southeast of the park. Finally, Olmsted's sons advised
Washington University on integrating the campus with the park across the street.
In 1901 the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Corporation selected prominent St. Louis architect
Isaac S. Taylor as the Chairman of the Architectural Commission and Director of Works for the fair, supervising the overall design and construction. Taylor quickly appointed
Emmanuel Louis Masqueray
Emmanuel Louis Masqueray (1861–1917) was a Franco-American preeminent figure in the history of American architecture, both as a gifted designer of landmark buildings and as an influential teacher of the profession of architecture dedicated t ...
to be his Chief of Design. In the position for three years, Masqueray designed the following Fair buildings: Palace of Agriculture, the Cascades and Colonnades, Palace of Forestry, Fish, and Game, Palace of Horticulture and Palace of Transportation, all of which were widely emulated in civic projects across the United States as part of the
City Beautiful movement. Masqueray resigned shortly after the Fair opened in 1904, having been invited by Archbishop
John Ireland of
St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...
to design a new cathedral for the city.
Board of Commissioners
Florence Hayward
Florence Hayward (13 November 1858 – 19 January 1939), pen name "Firenze", was a South Australian poet.
History
Florence was a daughter of Philip Henry Burden and his wife Mary Burden née Jones, and a sister of Fred Burden. Their father died y ...
, a successful freelance writer in St. Louis in the 1900s, was determined to play a role in the World's Fair. She negotiated a position on the otherwise all-male Board of Commissioners. Hayward learned that one of the potential contractors for the fair was not reputable and warned the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company (LPEC). In exchange for this information, she requested an appointment as roving commissioner to Europe.
Former Mayor of St. Louis and Governor of Missouri
David R. Francis, LPEC president, made the appointment and allowed Hayward to travel overseas to promote the fair, especially to women. The fair also had a Board of Lady Managers (BLM) who felt they had jurisdiction over women's activities at the fair and objected to Hayward's appointment without their knowledge. Despite this, Hayward set out for England in 1902. Hayward's most notable contribution to the fair was acquiring gifts Queen Victoria received for her Golden Jubilee and other historical items, including manuscripts from the Vatican. These items were all to be shown in exhibits at the fair.
Pleased with her success in Europe, Francis put her in charge of historical exhibits in the anthropology division, which had originally been assigned to Pierre Chouteau III. Despite being the only woman on the Board of Commissioners, creating successful anthropological exhibits, publicizing the fair, and acquiring significant exhibit items, Hayward's role in the fair was not acknowledged. When Francis published a history of the fair in 1913, he did not mention Hayward's contributions and she never forgave the slight.
Scientific contributions
Many of the inventions displayed were precursors to items which have become an integral part of today's culture. Novel applications of electricity and light waves for communication and medical use were displayed in the Palace of Electricity.
According to an article he wrote for Harper's Weekly, W.E. Goldsborough, the Chief of the Department of Electricity for the Fair, wished to educate the public and dispel the misconceptions about electricity which many common people believed.
New and updated methods of transportation also showcased at the World's Fair in the Palace of Transportation would come to revolutionize transportation for the modern day.
Communication contributions
Wireless telephone – The "wireless telephony" unit or "radiophone" installed at the St. Louis World Fair was a thing of wonder to the crowds.
Music or spoken messages were transmitted from an apparatus within the Palace of Electricity to a telephone receiver out in the courtyard. The receiver, which was attached to nothing, when placed to the ear allowed a visitor to hear the transmission. This radiophone, invented by
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and T ...
, consisted of a transmitter which transformed sound waves into light waves and a receiver which converted the light waves back into sound waves. This technology has since developed into the
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...
and telephone.
Early fax machine – The
telautograph, the precursor to the modern day
fax machine, was invented in 1888 by the American scientist,
Elisha Gray
Elisha Gray (August 2, 1835 – January 21, 1901) was an American electrical engineer who co-founded the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. Gray is best known for his development of a telephone prototype in 1876 in Highland Park, Illino ...
who at one point in time contested Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone. The telautograph was a device which could send electrical impulses to the receiving pen of the device, in order to be able to recreate drawings to a piece of paper while a person simultaneously wrote them longhand on the other end of the device. In 1900, Gray's assistant, Foster Ritchie, improved upon the original design, and it was this device that was displayed at the 1904 World's Fair and marketed for the next thirty years.
Medical contributions
Finsen light – The Finsen light, a phototherapy unit invented by
Niels Ryberg Finsen, utilized ultraviolet light to treat a form of lupus caused by the bacteria ''
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (M. tb) is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, ''M. tuberculosis'' has an unusual, waxy coating on it ...
''. Finsen was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1903 for his contributions and his invention pioneered the way which led to many other forms of radiation therapy in the treatment of disease.
X-ray machine – The
X-ray machine was an invention that had its public debut at the 1904 World's Fair. X-rays were first discovered in November 1895 by a German scientist,
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who at the time was studying the phenomena accompanying the passage of an electric current through a gas of extremely low pressure. After Rontgen's discovery, he took an x-ray of his wife's hand, showing the bones and her fingers along with her wedding ring, and sent it to several of his scientist colleagues. One of the scientists that learned of the discovery was
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
and he soon began to experiment with his own x-ray machine with his assistant
Clarence Dally. In 1901, Dally brought a test version of the X-ray machine to the 1901 World's Fair but failed to test the machine when
President McKinley was assassinated. For the 1904 World's Fair, the X-ray machine was perfected and successfully shown to the public. X-rays are now commonplace in hospitals and airports.
Infant incubator – Although
infant incubators were invented in the year 1888 by Drs. Alan M. Thomas and William Champion, these devices were not immediately widely used. To increase awareness of the benefits these units provided, infant incubators containing premature babies were displayed at the
1897,
1898,
1901, and 1904 World Fairs. This piece of medical equipment helped neonates with compromised immune systems by providing a sanitary environment to reduce the likelihood of acquiring an infection. Each incubator was an air-tight glass box with a metal frame. Hot air was pumped into the container to keep a constant temperature. Newspapers advertised the incubators with "lives are being preserved by this wonderful method."
During the World Fair in 1904, E. M. Bayliss brought these devices for exhibition on The Pike where approximately ten nurses cared for twenty-four neo-natal babies while in the infant incubators.
The exhibit required an entrance fee of twenty-five cents and visitors could also purchase souvenirs and refreshments from the adjoining shop and café. These proceeds, totaling $181,632, helped to fund Bayliss's project.
There were some setbacks with the infant incubator display as the sanitary conditions were not always consistent and some babies died of illness. The incubator area was then modified by installing glass walls to separate the babies from visitors, thus decreasing the exposure of the infants. The science and technology behind the incubators has since been expanded upon. Now known as "isolettes," these units are a vital component to caring for neonates in modern
neonatal intensive care units.
Transportation contributions
Electric streetcar – Although street railways had been in use in North America since the early 19th century,
electric street railcars were still relatively novel at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Outside of the Palace of Electricity, an exhibit including a working electric street car and 1400 feet of track demonstrated the speed, acceleration, and braking capacities of this new-powered model.
Electric railways for inner-city transport are still used in many cities today.
Personal automobile – One of the most popular attractions of the Exposition was contained in the Palace of Transportation:
automobiles
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarded ...
and motor cars.
The automobile display contained 140 models including
ones powered by gasoline, steam, and electricity.
The private automobile first made its public debut at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.
Four years after the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
began producing the
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
making the personal automobile more affordable. Since that time, the automobile has increased in popularity, advanced in technology, and expanded the mobility of humanity. A prototype
car radio was also demonstrated by inventor
Lee de Forest
Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor and a fundamentally important early pioneer in electronics. He invented the first electronic device for controlling current flow; the three-element " Audion" triode v ...
.
Airplane – The 1904 World's Fair hosted the first-ever "Airship Contest" since aerial navigation was still in its infancy at this time. The Exposition offered a grand prize of $100,000 to the airship or other flying machine with the best time through a course marked out by stationary air balloons while travelling at least 15 miles per hour.
Although none were able to earn the grand prize, the contest did witness the first public
dirigible
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
flight in America as well as numerous other flights made by various airships. This was the first major event in a
history of aviation in St. Louis leading to the city's nickname, Flight City. The science of aerial navigation continued to develop and has been mastered since the 1904 Exposition. Air travel has become a vital component in today's global society.
Legacy
Since many people were curious about this up-and-coming city, many reporters and photographers attended the World's Fair to document and understand the city. What they found was nothing like anyone else could have imagined. The streets were buzzing with activity, with many of its citizens constantly on the "go" and the streets "crowded with activity". One observer remarked that, at this time, St. Louis had more energy in its streets than any other northern city did.
Buildings
With more and more people interested in the city, St. Louis government and architects were primarily concerned with their ports and access to the city. Though transportation by water had always been important to the city (St. Louis had originated as a trading post), it was becoming even more important that the port be open, but efficient for all visitors. It also needed to show off some of the city's flair and excitement, which is why in many photographs one sees photos of St. Louis' skyscrapers in the background. In addition to a functioning port, the
Eads Bridge was constructed, which was considered one of St. Louis' "sights". At long, it connected Missouri and Illinois, and was the first large-scale application of steel as a structural material.
![Louisiana Purchase Exposition East Lagoon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Louisiana_Purchase_Exposition_East_Lagoon.jpg)
As with the
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
in 1893, all but one of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition's grand, neo-Classical exhibition palaces were temporary structures, designed to last but a year or two. They were built with a material called "
staff
Staff may refer to:
Pole
* Staff, a weapon used in stick-fighting
** Quarterstaff, a European pole weapon
* Staff of office, a pole that indicates a position
* Staff (railway signalling), a token authorizing a locomotive driver to use a particula ...
," a mixture of
plaster of Paris and
hemp
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of '' Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants ...
fibers, on a wood frame. As at the Chicago World's Fair, buildings and statues deteriorated during the months of the Fair and had to be patched.
The Palace of Fine Art, designed by architect
Cass Gilbert, featured a grand interior sculpture court based on the Roman
Baths of Caracalla
, alternate_name = it, Terme di Caracalla
, image = File:Baths of Caracalla, facing Caldarium.jpg
, caption = The baths as viewed from the south-west. The caldarium would have been in the front of the image
, coordinates = ...
. Standing at the top of Art Hill, it now serves as the home of the
St. Louis Art Museum.
The Administration Building, designed by
Cope & Stewardson
Cope and Stewardson (1885–1912) was a Philadelphia architecture firm founded by Walter Cope and John Stewardson, and best known for its Collegiate Gothic building and campus designs. Cope and Stewardson established the firm in 1885, and were jo ...
, is now
Brookings Hall
Brookings Hall is a Collegiate Gothic landmark on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The building, first named "University Hall", was built between 1900 and 1902 and served as the administrative center for the 1904 World's Fair. T ...
, the defining landmark on the campus of
Washington University. A similar building was erected at
Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University is a public university in Maryville, Missouri. It has an enrollment of about 8,505 students. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis Worl ...
founded in 1905 in
Maryville, Missouri. The grounds' layout was also recreated in Maryville and now is designated as the official Missouri State Arboretum.
![04Creation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/04Creation.JPG)
Some mansions from the Exposition's era survive along Lindell Boulevard at the north border of Forest Park.
The huge bird cage at the
Saint Louis Zoological Park, dates to the fair. A
Jain temple carved out of teak stood within the Indian Pavilion near the
Ferris Wheel. It was dismantled after the exhibition and was reconstructed in Las Vegas at the
Castaways hotel. It has recently been reassembled and is now on display at the
Jain Center of Southern California at Los Angeles.
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...
's iconic
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuri ...
Vulcan statue
The ''Vulcan'' statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and is the city symbol of Birmingham, Alabama, reflecting its roots in the iron and steel industry. The tall statue depicts the Roman god Vulcan, god of the fire and forge, wit ...
was first exhibited at the Fair in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy. Additionally, a plaster reproduction of
''Alma Mater'' at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
by
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his 1874 sculpture '' The Minute Man'' in Concord, Massachusetts, and his 1920 monum ...
was displayed at the Grand Sculpture Court of the exhibition.
The Missouri State building was the largest of the state buildings, as Missouri was the host state. Though it had sections with marble floors and heating and air conditioning, it was planned to be a temporary structure. However, it burned the night of November 18–19, just eleven days before the Fair was to end. Most of the interior was destroyed, but some contents were rescued without damage, including some furniture and much of the contents of the fair's Model Library. Since the fair was almost over, the building was not rebuilt. After the fair, the current World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park was built on the site of the Missouri building with profits from the fair in 1909–10.
![ConsoleOrgueWanamaker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/ConsoleOrgueWanamaker.jpg)
Festival Hall, designed by
Cass Gilbert and used for large-scale musical pageants, contained the largest
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
in the world at the time, built by the
Los Angeles Art Organ Company (which went bankrupt as a result). The great organ was debuted by the fair's official organist,
Charles Henry Galloway. Though the opening concert was scheduled for the first day of the fair, complications related to its construction resulted in the opening concert being postponed until June 9. After the fair, the organ was placed into storage, and eventually purchased by
John Wanamaker
John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...
for his new
Wanamaker's store in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
where it was tripled in size and became known as the
Wanamaker Organ. The famous Bronze Eagle in the Wanamaker Store also came from the Fair. It features hundreds of hand-forged bronze feathers and was the centerpiece of one of the many German exhibits.
Wanamaker's became a
Lord & Taylor store and more recently, a
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
store.
Completed in 1913, the Jefferson Memorial building was built near the main entrance to the Exposition, at Lindell and DeBalivere. It was built with proceeds from the fair, to commemorate
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, who initiated the Louisiana Purchase, as was the first memorial to the third President. It became the headquarters of the
Missouri History Museum
The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri, showcases Missouri history. It is operated by the Missouri Historical Society, which was founded in 1866. Museum admission is free through a public subsidy by the Metropolitan ...
, and stored the Exposition's records and archives when the Louisiana Purchase Exposition company completed its mission. The building is now home to the Missouri History Museum, and the museum was significantly expanded in 2002–3.
The
State of Maine Building, which was a rustic cabin, was transported to
Point Lookout, Missouri
Point Lookout is an unincorporated community in Oliver Township, Taney County, Missouri, United States, near Branson and Hollister. Point Lookout is in U.S. post office ZIP code 65726. Point Lookout is part of the Branson Micropolitan Statisti ...
where it overlooked the
White River by sportsmen who formed the Maine Hunting and Fishing Club. In 1915, when the main building at the
College of the Ozarks in
Forsyth, Missouri
Forsyth is a city in Taney County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,730 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Taney County. The town is part of the Branson, Missouri Micropolitan Statistical Area. Forsyth is located on Lake ...
burned, the school relocated to Point Lookout, where the Maine building was renamed the Dobyns Building in honor of a school president. The Dobyns Building burned in 1930 and the college's signature church was built in its place. In 2004, a replica of the Maine building was built on the campus. The Keeter Center is named for another school president.
The
observation tower erected by the
American DeForest Wireless Telegraph Company was brought to the Fair when it became a hazard near Niagara Falls and needed to be removed because in the wintertime, ice from the fall's mist would form on the steel structure, and eventually fall onto the buildings below. It served as a communications platform for Lee DeForest's work in wireless telegraphy and a platform to view the fair. As Niagara Falls was near Buffalo New York, it was also called the Buffalo Tower After the World's Fair, it was moved to Creve Coeur Lake to be part of that park.
Westinghouse Electric sponsored the Westinghouse Auditorium, where they showed films of Westinghouse factories and products.
Introduction of new foods
A number of foods are claimed to have been invented at the fair. The most popular claim is that the waffle-style
ice cream cone was invented and first sold during the fair. However, it is widely believed that it was not invented at the Fair, but instead, it was popularized at the Fair. Other claims are more dubious, including the
hamburger
A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...
and
hot dog (both traditional
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
foods),
peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground, dry-roasted peanuts. It commonly contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt, sweeteners, or emulsifiers. Peanut butter is consumed in many countri ...
,
iced tea
Iced tea (or ice tea) is a form of cold tea. Though it is usually served in a glass with ice, it can refer to any tea that has been chilled or cooled. It may be sweetened with sugar or syrup. Iced tea is also a popular packaged drink that can be ...
, and
cotton candy
Cotton candy, also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring.
It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrif ...
. It is more likely, however, that these food items were first introduced to mass audiences and popularized by the fair.
Dr Pepper and
Puffed Wheat cereal were first introduced to a national audience at the fair. Daughter of slaves,
Annie Fisher, brought her beaten biscuits, which were already famous in her hometown of
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourt ...
. The exposition awarded Fisher's biscuits a gold medal. They would later be enjoyed by President
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
on his 1911 visit to Missouri.
Though not the debut of as many foods as claimed, the fair offered what was essentially America's first food court. Visitors could sample a variety of fast foods, dine in dozens of restaurants, or just stroll through the mile-long pike where food was celebrated. As one historian said of the fair, ''one could breakfast in France, take a mid-morning snack in the Philippines, lunch in Italy, and dine in Japan.''
Influence on popular music
The fair inspired the song "
Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis", which was recorded by many artists, including
Billy Murray. Both the fair and the song are focal points of the 1944 feature film ''
Meet Me in St. Louis'' starring
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
, which also inspired a
Broadway musical version.
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ra ...
wrote the rag "Cascades" in honor of the elaborate waterfalls in front of Festival Hall.
People on display
![Philippine Exposition at World's Fair St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Philippine_Exposition_at_World%27s_Fair_St._Louis_1904.jpg)
Following the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
, the
peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities; a surre ...
granted the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
control over
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, and
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
. Puerto Rico had had a quasi-autonomous government as an "overseas province" of Spain, and the Philippines, having declared independence after the 1896-1899
Philippine Revolution, fought US annexation in the 1899-1902
Philippine–American War
The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
. These areas
controversially became
unincorporated territories of the United States
Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and tribal reservations as they are not sove ...
in 1899, and people were brought from these territories to be on "display" at the 1904 fair.
1,102
Filipinos
Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...
were displayed at the fair, 700 of them
Philippine Scouts
The Philippine Scouts ( Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'' or ''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos a ...
and
Philippine Constabulary, used for controlling conflict among Filipinos and between Filipinos and fair organizers. Displays included the
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...
of the
American Southwest and the
Igorot
The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Mountain Range of northern Luzon, Philippines are often referred to using the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples. There are nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ar ...
of the Philippines, both of which peoples were noted as "primitive".
Within the Philippine reservation, was a school which was actively teaching Igorot students. The Philippine reservation at the exposition cost $1.1 million to create and operate. The people had been trafficked under harsh conditions and many did not survive. Burial plots in two St. Louis cemeteries were prepared in advance, however traditional burial practices were not allowed. Some of the people to be exhibited died en route or at the fair; bodies were immediately removed, and funeral rites had to be conducted without the bodies, in front of an oblivious public audience of fair attendees. Organizers choreographed ethnographic displays, having customs which marked special occasions restaged day after day.
Similarly, members of the Southeast Alaskan
Tlingit tribe accompanied fourteen
totem poles, two Native houses, and a canoe displayed at the Alaska Exhibit.
Mary Benson, a noted
Pomo
The Pomo are an Indigenous people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point. One small ...
basket weaver whose work is curated at the Smithsonian Institution and
National Museum of the American Indian, attended to demonstrate her basket making skills which are described as astounding. Athletic events such as a basketball tournament were held to demonstrate the success of the
Indian Boarding Schools and other assimilation programs. These efforts were confirmed with the
Fort Shaw Indian School girls basketball team who were declared "World Champions" after beating every team who faced them in these denominational games.
It has been argued that the "overriding purpose of the fair really centered on an effort to promote America's new role as an overseas imperial power", and that "While the juxtaposition of "modern" and "primitive" buttressed assumptions of racial superiority, representations of Native American and Filipino life created an impression of continuity between westward expansion across the continent and the new overseas empire."
Racializing concepts and epithets used domestically were extended to the people of the overseas territories.
Ota Benga, a Congolese Pygmy, was featured at the fair. Later he was given the run of the grounds at the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
in New York, then featured in an exhibit on evolution alongside an
orangutan
Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genu ...
in 1906, but public protest ended that.
In contrast, the
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
pavilion advanced the idea of a
modern yet exotic culture unfamiliar to the turn-of-the-century Western world,
much as it had during the earlier
Chicago World's Fair.
The Japanese government spent lavishly: $400,000, plus $50,000 from the Japanese colonial government of
Formosa
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...
, with an additional $250,000 coming from Japanese commercial interests and regional governments. A 150,000 square foot garden, set on the hillside south of the Machinery Hall and Engine House, featured a replica of Kyoto's famous
Kinkakuji, showing Japan's ancient sophistication, and a
Formosa
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is an island country located in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, formerly known in the Western political circles, press and literature as Formosa, makes up 99% of the land area of the territori ...
Mansion and Tea House, showing her modern colonial efforts. A second exhibition, "Fair Japan on the 'Pike'," organized by
Kushibiki and Arai, welcomed the public through a large
Niōmon-style gate into a realm of geisha-staffed exotic Japanese consumerism.
Exhibits
After the fair was completed, many of the international exhibits were not returned to their country of origin, but were dispersed to museums in the United States. For example, the Philippine exhibits were acquired by the
Museum of Natural History
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more ...
at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...
. The
Vulcan statue
The ''Vulcan'' statue is the largest cast iron statue in the world, and is the city symbol of Birmingham, Alabama, reflecting its roots in the iron and steel industry. The tall statue depicts the Roman god Vulcan, god of the fire and forge, wit ...
is today a prominent feature of the Vulcan Park and Museum in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...
, where it was originally cast.
The
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...
coordinated the U.S. government exhibits. It featured a blue whale, the first full-cast of a
blue whale
The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...
ever created.
The Fair also featured the original "Floatopia". Visitors floated on rafts of all sorts in the tiny Forest Park Lake. Many Floatopias have occurred since, including the infamous San Diego Floatopia of '83 and the Santa Barbara Floatopia that has been happening for years.
One exhibit of note was
Beautiful Jim Key, the "educated" Arabian-Hambletonian cross horse in his Silver Horseshoe Pavilion. He was owned by Dr. William Key, an African-American/Native American former slave, who became a respected self-taught veterinarian, and promoted by Albert R. Rogers, who had Jim and Dr. Key on tour for years around the US, helping to establish a humane movement that encouraged people to think of animals as having feelings and thoughts, and not just "brutes." Jim and Dr. Key became national celebrities along the way. Rogers invented highly successful marketing strategies still in use today. Jim Key could add, subtract, use a cash register, spell with blocks, tell time and give opinions on the politics of the day by shaking his head yes or no. Jim thoroughly enjoyed his "act"—he performed more than just tricks and appeared to clearly understand what was going on. Dr. Key's motto was that Jim "was taught by kindness" instead of the whip, which he was indeed.
Daisy E. Nirdlinger's book, ''Althea, or, the children of Rosemont plantation'' (illustrated by Egbert Cadmus (1868-1939)) was adopted by the Commissioners of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition as the official souvenir for young people.
1904 Summer Olympics
The Fair hosted the
1904 Summer Olympic Games, the first Olympics held in the United States. The games had originally been awarded to Chicago, but when St. Louis threatened to hold a rival international competition, the games were relocated. Nonetheless, the sporting events, spread out over several months, were overshadowed by the Fair. With travel expenses high, many European athletes did not attend, nor did the founder of the modern Olympics, Baron
.
Bullfight riot
On June 5, 1904, a bullfight scheduled for an arena just north of the fairgrounds, in conjunction with the fair, turned violent when Missouri governor
Alexander Monroe Dockery ordered police to halt the fight in light of Missouri's anti-bullfighting laws. Disgruntled spectators demanded refunds, and when they were turned away, they began throwing stones through the windows of the arena office. While police protected the office, they did not have sufficient numbers to protect the arena, which was burned to the ground by the mob. The exposition fire department responded to the fire, but disruption to the fair was minimal, as the riot took place on a Sunday, when the fair was closed.
Anglo-Boer War Concession
Frank E. Fillis produced what was supposedly "the greatest and most realistic military spectacle known in the history of the world". Different portions of the concession featured a British Army encampment, several South African native villages (including
Zulu,
San,
Swazi, and
Ndebele
Ndebele may refer to:
*Southern Ndebele people, located in South Africa
*Northern Ndebele people, located in Zimbabwe and Botswana
Languages
* Southern Ndebele language, the language of the South Ndebele
* Northern Ndebele language, the language ...
) and a arena in which soldiers paraded, sporting events and horse races were held and major battles from the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the So ...
were re-enacted twice a day. Battle recreations took 2–3 hours and included several Generals and 600 veteran soldiers from both sides of the war. At the conclusion of the show, the
Boer General
Christiaan de Wet would escape on horseback by leaping from a height of into a pool of water.
Admission ranged from 25 cents for bleacher seats to one dollar for box seats, and admission to the villages was another 25 cents. The concession cost $48,000 to construct, grossed over $630,000, and netted about $113,000 to the fair—the highest-grossing military concession of the fair.
Notable attendees
![Wrau-geronimo-1904-worlds-fair-cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Wrau-geronimo-1904-worlds-fair-cropped.jpg)
The Louisiana World's Fair was opened by President,
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, by telegraph, but he did not attend personally until after his reelection in November 1904, as he stated he did not wish to use the fair for political purposes. Attendees included
John Philip Sousa, a musician, composer and conductor whose band performed on opening day and several times during the fair.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
is claimed to have attended.
Ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...
music was popularly featured at the Fair.
Scott Joplin
Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ra ...
wrote "The Cascades" specifically for the fair, inspired by the waterfalls at the Grand Basin, and presumably attended the fair.
Helen Keller, who was 24 and graduated from
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and h ...
, gave a lecture in the main auditorium.
J. T. Stinson, a well-regarded fruit specialist, introduced the phrase, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" (at a lecture during the exhibition).
The French organist
Alexandre Guilmant
Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (; 12 March 1837 – 29 March 1911) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Cantor ...
played a series of 40 recitals from memory on the great organ in Festival Hall, then the largest
pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks' ...
in the world, including ''Toccata in D minor'' (Op. 108, No. 1) by
Albert Renaud, which Renaud had dedicated to Guilmant.
Geronimo
Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache b ...
, the former
war chief of the
Apache
The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño a ...
, was "on display" in a teepee in the Ethnology Exhibit.
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
, the 22nd and 24th president, attended the opening ceremony on April 30 and "overshadowed President Roosevelt in popular applause, when both stood on the same platform.”
Henri Poincaré
Jules Henri Poincaré ( S: stress final syllable ; 29 April 1854 – 17 July 1912) was a French mathematician, theoretical physicist, engineer, and philosopher of science. He is often described as a polymath, and in mathematics as "Th ...
gave a keynote address on
mathematical physics
Mathematical physics refers to the development of mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The '' Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and the developm ...
, including an outline for what would eventually become known as
special relativity
In physics, the special theory of relativity, or special relativity for short, is a scientific theory regarding the relationship between space and time. In Albert Einstein's original treatment, the theory is based on two postulates:
# The law ...
.
Jelly Roll Morton did not visit, stating in his later
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
interview and recordings that he expected jazz pianist
Tony Jackson would attend and win a jazz piano competition at the Exposition. Morton said he was "quite disgusted" to later learn that Jackson had not attended either, and that the competition had been won instead by
Alfred Wilson; Morton considered himself a better pianist than Wilson.
The poet
T. S. Eliot, who was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, visited the
Igorot
The indigenous peoples of the Cordillera Mountain Range of northern Luzon, Philippines are often referred to using the exonym Igorot people, or more recently, as the Cordilleran peoples. There are nine main ethnolinguistic groups whose domains ar ...
Village held in the Philippine Exposition section of the St. Louis World's Fair. Several months after the closing of the World's Fair, he published a short story entitled "The Man Who Was King" in the school magazine of Smith Academy, St. Louis, Missouri, where he was a student. Inspired by the ganza dance which the
Igorot people presented regularly in the Village and their reaction to "civilization," the poet explored the interaction of a white man with the island culture. All this predates the poet's delving into the anthropological studies during his Harvard graduate years.
Max Weber
Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas p ...
visited upon first coming to the United States in hopes of using some of his findings for a case study on capitalism.
Jack Daniel, the American distiller and the founder of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distillery, entered his Tennessee whiskey into the World's Fair whiskey competition. After four hours of deliberation, the eight judges awarded
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey the Gold Medal for the finest whiskey in the world. The award was a boon for the Jack Daniel's distillery.
Novelist
Kate Chopin
Kate Chopin (, also ; born Katherine O'Flaherty; February 8, 1850 – August 22, 1904) was an American author of short stories and novels based in Louisiana. She is considered by scholars to have been a forerunner of American 20th-century feminis ...
lived nearby and purchased a season ticket to the fair. After her visit on the hot day of August 20, she suffered a
brain hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...
and died two days later, on August 22, 1904.
Philadelphia mercantilist,
John Wanamaker
John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...
, visited the exposition in November 1904 and purchased an entire collection of German furniture which included the giant ''jugendstil'' brass sculpture of an eagle that he would display in the rotunda of his Wanamaker's department store in Philadelphia. In 1909 Wanamaker also purchased the organ from the fair, which at the time was the biggest concert organ in the world. It is still featured today, much enlarged, as the
Wanamaker Organ in the Grand Court of his Philadelphia retail palace.
Benedictine monk, artist and museum founder, Fr.
Gregory Gerrer
Rev. Gregory Gerrer, OSB (July 23, 1867August 24, 1946) was a Benedictine Priest at Sacred Heart Abbey (later, St. Gregory's Abbey), artist, art historian and museum founder.
Art career
From 1900 to 1904, Gerrer studied art in Rome. Shortly a ...
, OSB, exhibited his recent portrait of
Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...
at the fair. Following the fair, Gerrer brought the painting to
Shawnee, Oklahoma, where it is now on display at the
Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art is a non-profit art museum in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA. It is located on the Oklahoma Baptist University Green Campus, being the campus of the former St. Gregory's University. The museum operated independently of St. ...
.
John McCormack, Irish
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...
, was brought to the fair by James A. Reardon, who was in charge of the Irish exhibit.
The
Sundance Kid
Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (1867 – November 7, 1908), better known as the Sundance Kid, was an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch in the American Old West. He likely met Butch Cassidy (real name Robert Leroy Parker) during a hun ...
visited the exposition, accompanied by
Etta Place
Etta Place ( , ?) was a companion of the American outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, alias Sundance Kid. The three were members of the outlaw gang known as Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. She was princ ...
.
Postage stamps
In conjunction with the Exposition the U.S. Post Office issued a series of five commemorative stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. The 1-cent value portrays
Robert Livingston, the ambassador who negotiated the purchase with France; the 2-cent value depicts
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, who executed the purchase; the 3-cent honors
James Monroe, who participated in negotiations with the French; the 5-cent memorializes
William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in t ...
, who was involved with early plans for the Exposition; and the 10-cent presents a map of the Louisiana Purchase.
File:Robert Livingston33 1904 Issue-1c.jpg, Robert Livingston
File:Thomas Jefferson22 Issue of 1904-4c.jpg, Thomas Jefferson
File:Monroe 1904 Issue-3c.jpg, James Monroe
File:McKinley1904-7.jpg, William McKinley
File:Louisiana Purchase7 1903 Issue-10c-crop.jpg, Map of the Louisiana Purchase
See also
*
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended ...
*
Central West End, St. Louis
The Central West End is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, stretching from Midtown's western edge to Union Boulevard and bordering on Forest Park with its outstanding array of free cultural institutions. It includes the Cathedral Basilica of ...
*
Forest Park
A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment.
Examples Chile
* Forest Park, Santiago
China
* Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai
* Mufushan National Forest ...
*
Human zoo
* ''
Meet Me in St. Louis''
*
Ota Benga, Congolese man put on display in the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
*
Owney (dog)
*
Pyreliophorus The Pyreliophorus was a device similar to a burning glass, created by the Portuguese priest Manuel António Gomes, also known as ''padre Himalaya'', whose objective was to melt many different types of materials using solar energy. The device used s ...
*
Saint Louis Exposition (1884)
The Saint Louis Exposition or St. Louis Expo was a series of annual agricultural and technical fairs held in St. Louis' Fairgrounds Park, from the 1850s to 1902. In 1904, the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, a major World's Fair, was held in St. L ...
*
St. Louis, Missouri
*
University City, Missouri
*
Washington University in St. Louis
*
World's Largest Cedar Bucket
*
List of world expositions
*
List of world's fairs
This is a list of international and colonial world's fairs, as well as a list of national exhibitions, a comprehensive chronological list of world's fairs (with notable permanent buildings built).
1790s
* 1791 – Prague, Bohemia, Habsburg ...
References
Further reading
*
* Afable, Patricia O. 'The Exhibition of Cordillerans in the United States during the Early 1900s'. ''The Igorot Quarterly'', vol.6, no. 2, 1997,pg.19-22.
* Bennitt, Mark and Frank Parker Stockbridge, eds. ''History of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition'', St. Louis, MO: Universal Exposition Publishing Company, 1905.
* Boeger, Astrid. 'St. Louis 1904.' In ''Encyclopedia of World's Fairs and Expositions'', ed. John E. Findling and Kimberly D. Pelle. Jefferson, NC and London:McFarland, 2008.
* Brownell, Susan, ''The 1904 Anthropology Days and Olympic Games''. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 2008.
*
* Fox, Timothy J. and Duane R. Sneddeker, ''From the Palaces to the Pike: Visions of the 1904 World's Fair''. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society Press, 1997.
* Gilbert, James. ''Whose Fair?: Experience, Memory, and the History of the Great St. Louis Exposition'' (2009)
* Narita, Tatsushi, 'The Young T. S. Eliot and Alien Cultures: His Philippine Interactions.' ''The Review of English Studies'', New Series, vol. 45, no. 180, 1994.
* Narita, Tatsushi. ''T. S. Eliot, The World Fair of St. Louis and 'Autonomy. Published for NCCF-Japan. Nagoya: Kougaku Shuppan, 2013.
* Narita, Tatsushi, ''T. S. Eliot and his Youth as 'A Literary Columbus, Nagoya: Kougaku Shuppan, 2011.
* Parezo, Nancy J. and Don D. Fowler, ''Anthropology Goes to the Fair: The 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition''. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 2007.
* Redman, Samuel. J. ''Bone Rooms: From Scientific Racism to Human Prehistory in Museums''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 2016.
* Rydell, Robert W., ''All the World's a Fair''. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1984.
Primary sources
* Francis, David Rowland. ''The universal exposition of 1904.'' (Louisiana purchase exposition Company, 1913)
online By the governor of Missouri.
External links
Official website of the BIE1904 World's Fair SocietyLouisiana Purchase Exposition Glass Plate Negatives Collectioni
Digital Collectionsa
St. Louis Public LibraryLouisiana Purchase Exposition Miscellaneous Digital Collectionof publications, tickets, programs, invitations, and fliers at St. Louis Public Library
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ttp://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/awal.0659 An Edison company film of the Asia pavilion at the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
History of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition''Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission'' at gutenbergArthur Younger Ford (1861–1926) Photograph Albums (University of Louisville Photographic Archives)– includes 69 photos taken at the fair.
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition: The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair from the University of Missouri Digital Library– scanned copies of nearly 50 books, pamphlets, and other related material from and about the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair) including issues of the World's Fair Bulletin from June 1901 through the close of the Fair in December 1904.
- approximately 380 links
The World's Fair: Comprising the Official Photographic Views of the Universal Exposition Held in Saint Louis, 1904Official Guide to the Louisiana Purchase ExpositionOfficial Catalogue of Exhibits, Universal Exposition St. Louis 1904Kiralfy's Louisiana Purchase SpectacleThe Opening: Universal Exposition, 1904On The PikeInside an American Factory: Films of the Westinghouse Works, 1904Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, sung by S.H. Dudley in 1904Celebrating the Louisiana Purchaseonline exhibit by St. Louis Public Library
The Rhode Island Building: Louisiana Purchase Exposition St. Louisfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
World's Fair St. Louis Official Ground Planfrom the Rhode Island State Archives
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At The Fair: The Grandness of the 1904 St. Louis World's FairLouisiana Purchase Exposition Collectionfinding aid at
St. Louis Public Library
The St. Louis Public Library is a municipal public library system in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It operates sixteen locations, including the main Central Library location.
History
In 1865, Ira Divoll, the superintendent of the St. Louis P ...
Louisiana Purchase Exposition Sheet Music Collectionfinding aid a
St. Louis Public LibraryLouisiana Purchase Exposition Lantern Slides Finding Aidat th
St. Louis Public LibraryLouisiana Purchase Exposition Official Photographer Photos Finding Aidat th
St. Louis Public LibraryLouisiana Purchase Exposition Photo Albums Finding Aidat th
St. Louis Public LibraryLouisiana Purchase Exposition: Postcard Collection Finding Aidat th
St. Louis Public LibraryLouisiana Purchase Exposition: Stereograph Cards Collection Finding Aidat th
St. Louis Public LibraryLouisiana Purchase Exposition: Truman Ward Ingersoll Stereograph Cards Collection Finding Aidat th
St. Louis Public Library
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1904 in Missouri
Washington University in St. Louis
Exposition
Saint Louis Zoo
United States historical anniversaries
1900s in St. Louis
Festivals established in 1904