May 10–July 1, 2011 Ryerson & Burnham Libraries The World's
Columbian Exposition of 1893 was organized to commemorate the
400th anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the New World in
1492. The Exposition, or Fair as it is often called, came to
represent an important moment in the history of Chicago and
American culture. Chicago took great pride in securing the honor
of hosting this monumental event—beating out a number of other
cities, such as Washington, D.C. and New York. The city saw this
as an opportunity to ensure its standing as a place of great
creativity, ingenuity and cultural refinement. The Fair hosted
the largest exhibition of art in the United States at the time,
with more than 10,000 works of art. But more than anything the
World's Columbian Exposition became well known for its
architecture. The Fair consisted of fourteen "Great
Buildings"—the largest of which was the Manufactures and Liberal
Art Building—and over 200 other buildings. As the Director of
Works for the Fair, Daniel H. Burnham (1846