Previous expositions that meet requirements established by the Bureau of International Expositions (1921). Dublin and New York held exhibitions in 1853, but these were more local events and did not qualify as World Expositions.
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Begin
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End
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Location
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Visitors
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Area (ha)
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Cost
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Receipts
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Profit/Loss
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Apr 1851
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Oct 1851
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London
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6.039.135
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10
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$1,582,000
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$1,780.000
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$198,000
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May 1855
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Nov 1855
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Paris
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5,162,330
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15
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$5,000,000
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$644,000
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$4,356,000
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May 1862
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Nov 1862
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London
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6,000,000
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15
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$41,58,000
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$2,298,150
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$1,850
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Apr 1867
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Nov 1867
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Paris
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10,200,000
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69
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$4,500,000
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$2.103,675
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$2,396,325
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May 1873
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Oct 1873
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Vienna
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7,254,687
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233
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$7,850,000
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$3,000,000
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$6,500,000
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May 1876
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Nov 1876
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Philadelphia
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8,200,000
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115
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$8,000,000
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$3,813,721†
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$4,186,279
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May 1878
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Nov 1878
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Paris
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16,032,000
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75
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$11,000,000
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$2,531.660†
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$8,468.340
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Sep 1879
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Apr 1880
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Sydney
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1,117,536
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6
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$1,524,180
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$203,180†
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$1,321,000
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May 1889
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Oct 1889
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Paris
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28,119,353
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96
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$8,300,000
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$9,900,000
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$1,600,000
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May 1893
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Oct 1893
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Chicago
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25,800,000
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290
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$30,000,000
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$33,000,000‡
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$3,000,000
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† Exclusive of royalties and the sale of concessions
‡ Includes $4,000,000 sales of concesssions
Sources (1851-1889): Gen. C.B. Norton, “History of World’s Fairs”, summarized by the Chicago Tribune, 15 November 1890.
(1893): “A History of the World’s Columbian Exposition Held in Chicago in 1893” by Rossiter Johnson, 1893
LONDON, IN 1851
ALTHOUGH other countries have had in previous years quite extensive collections or exhibitions of their industries and products, nothing approaching’ the holding of a World’s Fair, where the entire world would be represented, was attempted until the one held in London, in 1851. While the projectors and managers of that notable Exposition had no precedent by which they could be guided, the field having been practically untried, yet so admirable was its management that even now, nearly a half a century after, and with the experience of a dozen World’s Fairs from which to obtain lessons, very little change or improvement can be made, only in the extent of the buildings, grounds and exhibits.
The London World’s Fair was first projected in 1849, and having the support and patronage of royalty, took immediate shape and form. Competitive designs for an appropriate building were asked for, and in a month’s time no less than 233 architects had submitted drawings and plans, many of them very elaborate and artistic. The judges awarded the prize to Sir Joseph Paxton, whose design being for a building constructed almost entirely of glass and iron was very appropriately termed the “Crystal Palace.” The building was 1851 feet long to correspond with the year and 450 feet wide, and the contractors agreed to complete the building in four months. It required 900.000 square feet cf glass, weighing more than 400 tons, and 3.300 iron columns, varying from 15 to 20 feet in length. Not loss than ten thousand persons were connected in one way or another with the construction and management of this Exposition. The total cost of the building was $965,000. The Exposition was opened May 1st, 1851, and continuing for 144 days, was a grand success in every particular. The total number of admissions were 6.039.135, and total receipts $1.780.000, leaving a surplus over all expenditures of about $750.000. The total number of exhibits made were 13,937, of whom but 499 were from the United States, although this country secured a larger percentage of awards than any other. Among the first prizes captured by this country were: G. Borden, Jr., for meat biscuit; D. Dick, engineers’ tools and presses; C. H. McCormick, of Chicago, reaping machines; Wm. Bond & Son, inventor of a new mode of observing astronomical phenomena; C. Goodyear, rubber goods.
The police arrangements were satisfactory, there having been only twenty-three arrests during the Exposition twelve for picking pockets and eleven for theft. A series of lectures and essays by eminent scientific men of the day were published during the Fair and given wide circulation. The classification of exhibits was simple and comprehensive, all articles being divided into four great classes: Raw materials, machinery, manufactures and art.
From its first inception, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, her consort, took a warm personal interest in the success of the Crystal Palace, to whom is duo in a great measure the satisfactory results accomplished, It was at this Exhibition that the wonderful diamond known as the Kohinoor was for the first time shown to the public.
London, Crystal Palace, 1851
PARIS, IN 1855
PARIS was the scene of the next World’s Fair, in 1855, its most prominent feature having been the space and attention devoted to fine arts. The main building was called the Palace of Industry, which was erected for a permanent structure, and still stands on the main avenue of the Champs Elysees, where it is made use of for many purposes connected with exhibitions. Another building called the Annex was devoted mainly to machinery, and was about 4.000 feet long. A third, called the Palace of Fine Arts, was located quite a distance from the others, and between them was a circular building called the Rotunda, in which were displayed the crown jewels and other valuable exhibits. The Fair was under the supervision and control of the government, Louis Napoleon, who was Emperor at the time, taking a deep interest in the Exhibition. The total space occupied by exhibitors was about 1,866,000 square feet, and the number of exhibitors was 23,954, of whom more than half were French. The United States was represented by only 144 exhibitors. In all, fifty-three foreign States and twenty two foreign colonies were represented at this Exhibition, not including the French colonies. C. H. McCormick, of Chicago, was the only American exhibitor reciving a first prize, but America was numerously represented in the awards.
The Fair was open 200 days, including Sundays, and the total number of admissions was 5,162,330. The largest number of visitors in one day was on Sunday, Sept. 9th, when 123,017 persons were admitted. It is estimated that the Fair was visited by 160,000 foreigners. The total cost of the Exhibition was $2,257,000 or adding the cost of the Palace of Industry, paid for by the French government, about $5.000,000. Tha total receipts were only $644,000.
Palais de l’Industrie in 1855
LONDON, IN 1862
ENGLAND had intended to hold her second World’s Fair on the tenth anniversary of its first one, but the death of Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria, postponed the event to the following year. The total area covered by the building8 of this Fair was about twenty-four acres, one-half of which space was reserved by England for its own exhibitors. The total number of exhibitors was 28,653, including 2.305 artists. At that time the United States was passing through the civil war, which prevented it from making much of an exhibit. But notwithstanding the small number of exhibits sent, this country received fifty-six medals and twenty-nine diplomas. The total cost of the buildings was about $1,605,000. The gates were open 121 days, and the total number of admissions was 6,250,000, the largest number admitted in one day being 67,891. The total receipts were $1,298,150.
International Exposition. South Kensington, 1862
PARIS, IN 1867
NOTABLE among the great Expositions stands the one held in Paris in 1867, not only for its splendor, but as well for the attendance of the notables and rulers of all the leading countries of Europe, including the Czar of Russia and his two sons, the Sultan of Turkey, ‘the Prince of Wales, the Khedive of Egypt, the King of Prussia and Bismarck, the Kings of Denmark, Portugal and Sweden. The main buildings were located in the Champs de Mars, the principal structure being in the form of an ellipse, 1,550 feet long and 1,250 feet wide, covering eleven acres of ground. The additional buildings increased the covered area to thirty-five aeres. The balance of the Champ de Mars, in all about seventy acres, was laid out in gardens and fountains, and occupied by the separate buildings of individual nations. The exhibition Was open 216 days, including Sundays, and had 10,200.000 visitors, with total receipts of $2.103,675. The total number of exhibitors was 50,226, representing thirty different nations. The United States had 536 exhibitors, and secured the largest percentage of awards of any nation excepting France. Of the grand prizes awarded Americans were one each to Cyrus W. Field, transatlantic cable; C. H. McCormick, reaping machines. By a decree of the Emperor, Mr. C. H. McCormick was made a Chevalier of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honor.
l’exposition universelle de 1867, sur le Champs-de-Mars
VIENNA, IN 1873
IN 1873, Austria attempted to excel all previous World’s Fairs, which it did in many respects some admirable and some not. It had, to that time, the largest grounds and buildings devoted to that purpose, spent the most money on the Fair before the opening of the gates, and had more extensive displays in many of the departments than any previous Exposition. But to the discredit of the citizens of Vienna, where the Fair was held, they preyed upon the visitors like vultures, and charged such exhorbitant prices for accommodations and the necessities, that it not only depleted and lessened the attendance greatly, but gave the city and its inhabitants a reputation which they retain to this day. This is the one thing to be avoided in the Columbian Exposition, and every assurance is given that charges for everything will be very moderate at least no more than ordinary.
While in its incipiency the Vienna Fair was under the control of the Board of Trade of that city, the government of Austria soon took an active interest in the matter, and advanced the magnificent sum of 6.000,000 florins, or $3,000,000, as a loan without interest, to be returned out of the income. The place selected for the Fair was the Prater, one of the most popular parks of the city, and having a total area of 290 acres. The main building was 2,953 feet long and 83 feet wide, with 16 intercepting transepts, each 573 feet long and 57 feet wide. Machinery Hall was 2,625 feet long and 164 feet wide, embracing under roof an area of nearly ten acres. Within this enclosure was collected the most complete and satisfactory exhibit of industrial processes and products ever before seen. Its extent can be imagined when the fact is stated that to thoroughly examine this Department of Machinery alone would require more than forty days’ work of ten hours each. There was also an Art Building, 600 feet long by 100 feet wide, with large annexes, and a Department of Agriculture, confined in three large buildings.
The total cost of all the buildings was estimated at $7,850,000, while the receipts were not much over a third of that sum. The total number of admissions is given at 7,254,687, and the number of exhibitors was estimated at 70,000, of which only 654 were from the United States, who, however, secured the large average of 442 awards.
The Rotunde in Vienna, Austria, World Fair of 1873
PHILADELPHIA, IN 1876
THE approach of the One Hundredth Anniversary of our independence as a nation naturally suggested to all some appropriate celebration of the event commensurate with the importance of the occasion. After a thorough discussion of the subject, it was at last decided that the best method of celebrating the event was in holding an international exhibition of products, arts and manufactures of this and other countries. Immediately there was an amicable strife among the leading cities for the honor of being the place selected, and after a canvas of the different claims, it was generally conceded that Philadelphia, where independence was first declared, was indisputably entitled to the honor. An act of Congress authorizing the Exposition and the President’s proclamation announcing the fact to the world, gave it national supervision and recognition. To the surprise of many who had predicted that Great Britain and other foreign countries would take but little notice of the World’s Fair, because of its being the celebration of the organization of the greatest Republic in the world, there was shown a universal desire on the part of all nations to co-operate liberally. The government of the United States loaned the Exposition $1,500,000, which was afterwards repaid out of the receipts. The city of Philadelphia appropriated $1,000,000, and the State of Pennsylvania $1,500,000, and nearly all of the adjoining States subscribed liberally to the stock of the Exposition.
In 1873, Fail-mount Park, or 285 acres of it, was set apart by Philadelphia as the site of the buildings, the city, besides its large appropriation, building two large elegant bridges over the Skuylkill river leading to the grounds, which was done at a cost of about $2.500,000. The principal buildings were the following: The Main Building, covering an area of 870,464 square feet; Machinery Hall, covering 504,720 square feet; Art Building, covering 76,650 square feet, and with 88,869 square feet of wall space; Horticultural Hall, 350 feet long and 160 feet broad; Agricultural Hall, covering 117,760 square feet; Woman’s Building, 208 feet long and 298 feet broad. The United States also appropriated $728,500 for the erection of a special building and for the representation of the condition of the different departments of the government at that time.
The total number of exhibitors was estimated at 30,864. of whom 8,175 were from the United States, 3,822 from Spain and her colonies, and 3,584 from Great Britain and her colonies, besides liberal representation from nearly every country on the globe. The total number of awards made were 13,104, of which 5,304 were to American exhibitors and 7,740 to foreign exhibitors.
The Exposition opened May 10th. 1876, and closed Nov. 10th the same year, or 159 days, having been closed on Sundays. The total number of admissions was 8,200,000, of whom 8,004,325 paid admission fees. The largest number admitted in a single day was on Pennsylvania day, Sept. 28th, when 274.919 passed through the gates. The smallest number was on May 12th, with only 12.720 admissions. The daily average during the entire season was 62.333.
Main Building at the 1876 World’s Fair in Philadelphia, Currier & Ives litho
PARIS, IN 1878
THE ”Exhibition of the Works of Art and Industry of all Nations” in Paris, in 1878, was noted as being the first World’s Fair held in Europe under a Republican form of government, and while the receipts were only a small part of the expenses, the general results were practically satisfactory. As in 1867, the Champ de Mars was selected as the site, and one hundred acres of ground devoted to the purpose. The main building alone covered fifty-four acres, one-half of which was devoted to French exhibits and one half to foreign exhibitors. The Fair was opened May 1st, 1878, and was closed Oct. 10th, same year. The total number of admissions was 16.032.- 725, or a daily average of 82,650. The largest number of admissions on a single day was 200,613, of which 182.240 paid for admission. The total receipts were $2,531.660. The total number of persons who visited Paris during the Fair was 308.000 more than came to that city the previous year, and the city’s profit from this number of strangers was estimated at $15,000.000.
The display of fine arts and machinery was upon a very large and comprehensive scale, and the avenue of nations, a street 2,400 feet in length, was occupied by specimens of the domestic architecture of every country in Europe and several in Asia, Africa and America. The Palace of the Trocadero was a magnificent structure, with towers 250 feet high.
Palais du Trocadéro, 1878
SYDNEY, IN 1879-80
AN international exhibition was held at Sydney, Australia, in 1879, which as is usual with World’s Fairs, cost far more than the receipts amounted to, but which was more than made up by the large sums spent in the city by foreigners during the Fair. The gates were opened Sept. 17th, and closed April 20, 1880. and during that time was visited by 1,117,536 persons, the total receipts being but $202,180, white the total cost was about $1,500,000. The space covered by the buildings was about fifteen acres, and the number of exhibitors 9.345. The United States had 310 exhibitors, all but eighteen of whom received awards.
In the fall of the same year Australia had a second World’s Fair, at Melbourne, in Victoria. The total cost of the buildings was $1,201,025, and the total number of admissions 1,330,279. The number of awards made were 9,671, of which 773 were secured by American exhibitors. As showing how generously the Fair was patronized at home, it might be stated that the number of admissions exceeded the total population of the colony.
International Exhibition, Sydney, 1879-80
PARIS, IN 1889.
THE last, most extensive and successful World’s Fair ever held was the one in Paris in 1889, the date being the centenary of the French Revolution. The total receipts were 49,500,000 francs, and expenses 41,500,000. leaving a net profit of 8,000.000 francs, or $1,600,000. But this was a small part of the profit accruing to the city of Paris from the Exposition, as it is estimated that the 1,500,000 foreigners and 6, 000, 000 persons from the provinces spent in Paris during the Fair the enormous amount of $350,000,000. Notwithstanding the elegant Fair structures, the greatest attraction was Eiffel Tower, 984 feet high, constructed entirely of iron. It weighs about 7,500 tons, cost about $1,000,000, and still remains one of the great sights of the city. The number of exhibitors was 56,000, of which number 1,750 were from the United States. The total number of admissions from the opening May 6th to the closing Nov. 6th, was 28,149.353, the daily average being 137,289. It was estimated . that on the last day of the Fair, fully 400,000 persons were admitted to the grounds. It is to be regretted that no authentic figures are to be obtained of the World’s Fair held in New Orleans in 1885, called also the Cotton Exposition.
1889 Exposition Universelle
The descriptions of the Expositions are from “Martin’s World’s Fair Album-Atlas and Family Souvenir” 1892