Historical and
Commemorative Medals
Collection of Benjamin Weiss
COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION SOUVENIR MEDAL ? : USA, 1892, Bronze, 49 mm The Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in
Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of Columbus' discovery
of the New World. It was know at the time as the "Great White
City" because of the white classic structures present. It was built
on a marshy plain and filled-in lake shore in Jackson Park on the South
Side of Chicago. Artificial lagoons were created around the main
buildings. These buildings were built in uniformity in classical
architectural style. Some say that impact of this fair far exceeded all of
the previous World's Fairs in glamour, interest and historical importance.
This statement is supported by the fact that it had almost three times the
attendance of the 1876 World's Fair held in Philadelphia, and had a only
slightly smaller attendance than that of the Paris Exposition in 1889,
which was the largest of the period. Among the events of the Exposition
was Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, in which Sitting Bull was a
featured attraction. The Exhibition included settlements of Javanese,
South sea Islanders, Turk, Algerians, Egyptians, Bedouins and American
Indians. There was a wide variety of entertainment from many diverse parts
of the world, and because it celebrated the discovery of America, the
Columbian Exposition inspired similar celebrations in many parts of the
Western world. (Eglit) LINK to Columbian Exposition (from xroads.virginia.edu) LINK to World's Columbian Exposition Tokens and Medals (from columbianexpo.com) |
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