Exhibition buildings

A woman labeled “St. Louis” bows at the final curtain for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, with exhibition buildings visible in the background.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The 1904 “World’s Fair” was formally called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. It marked the United States’ arrangement with France which doubled the country’s land mass and had uncountable other implications. President Roosevelt opened the fair by telegraph on April 30, and only attended during the few weeks between his re-election and the fair’s closure; he did not want his attendance to be perceived as a campaign event.

A statue labeled “Thomas Jefferson The Father of Expansion” stands at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in Saint Louis, Missouri, with Puck directing the attention of George Frisbie Hoar and other anti-expansionists Edward Atkinson, Carl Schurz, and Charles Francis Adams, who look on in disbelief.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was planned for 1904 to commemorate the centennial of President Jefferson’s acceptance of Napoleon’s offer to sell vast Western lands — actually French claims to lands — on the American continent. It was planned for St. Louis, the “Gateway To the West,” then one of the largest cities in the United States.

This postcard depicts the Melbourne Exhibition Building–a large hall topped with several domes, and situated near a large, reflective pool of water.

Comments and Context

In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “Exebition [sic] Bldg which is one of the finest buildings in Australia. Exebitions [sic] of all kinds are held here, including many stock shows and agricultural exhibits of all kinds.”

Collection

Charles C. Myers Collection

A view of the large Melbourne Exhibition Hall. The facade of the building has several large arches at its entryways, and the building as a whole is topped by a large central dome. In front of the building are numerous trees and bushes, running along a body of water.

Comments and Context

In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “Another view of the Exebition [sic] Bldg.”

Collection

Charles C. Myers Collection

This stereograph depicts the Terrace of States at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1904

The beautiful Terrace of States, westward from Festival Hall, St. Louis World’s Fair.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1904

East lagoon and Plaza Orleans from the terraces at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1904

A monument to enterprise, the Inter-State and West Indian Exposition grounds in Charleston, South Carolina.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1902