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Tattooed lady from the New York World’s Fair midway, with an admirer. 1939-1940.
Models from the New York World’s Fair ‘World of Fashion’ enjoying some drinks, 1939/40.
(via Image - V&A)
Crystal Palace Peep Show (‘Lane’s Telescopic View’) 1851.
edit: I am glad everybody enjoyed this image! I had to edit the link because I am pretty sure traffic from this post crashed the original page for this picture, as it is no longer working. It now takes you to the front page of the Victoria and Albert museum, which has lots of lovely stuff.
(via The Crystal Palace - Victoria and Albert Museum)
Aeronautic View of the Palace of Industry for All Nations, Charles Burton, 1851-1852.
(via Explore The Opening of the Great Exhibition)
The Opening of the Great Exhibition, courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Click it for some super special art history internet magic.
(seriously, please click it, it’s full of zoom and detail and awesome)
(via Image - V&A)
Color lithograph, France at the Great Exhibition. Yes, I have World’s Fair fever today.
(via NYPL Digital Gallery | Detail ID G90F441_016F)
While we are on the subject of World’s Fairs, a favorite of mine is the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, held in St. Louis in 1904. Most of the buildings were temporary, but a few, like the beautiful St. Louis Art Museum, still stand, and Forest Park is still extra gorgeous. Full of Worlds Fair classics like villages of indigenous people to gawk at, it also boasted the Olympic games.
Stereoscopic image courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery. Please click the link for a larger view.
This is how the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was displayed to the public in the Great Exhibition, grouped as it was with other rarities and spoils in the Indian exhibit. A recent “gift” to the Queen, it was already famous in 1851, especially since it supposedly had a curse. It was destined to become a British Crown Jewel when Victoria became the Empress of India in 1877.
Don’t you like how it looks like it is a captive?
Colored lithograph of The Indian Court from The Great Exhibition, published 1854.
Google just changed its image to a cute little crystal palace to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the first World’s Fair. Of course, Britain’s Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations was just an elaborate excuse to toot their own industrial horn. But, oh, was it a marvel.
