Gray’s Auctioneers Offers Memorabilia from World’s Fairs & Expositions

Mon 7/31 @ 11AM

World’s Fairs or Expositions were a phenomenon that cropped up in the second half of the 19th century to celebrate the achievements of the industrial revolution and the increased exchanges between different parts of the world.

They became a big deal in the 20th century with a glut of advancements in science, transportation, the arts and technology. In Chicago, for instance, the Columbian Exposition of 1983 and the World’s Fair of 1993 were SUCH a big deal that they’re represented by two of the stars on the official Chicago flag.

And with mass production, they created souvenirs such as posters and guidebooks for tourists to take home with them. Gray’s Auctioneers in Cleveland will be offering some of these for sale, along with ephemera from various fairs. They include a bas-relief brass medallion featuring Lady Liberty embracing the Earth and unveiling America from the Columbian Exposition, a policeman’s uniform, a whistle and a Public Service Manual of a Century of Progress from the 1933 Chicago fair.

The auction also includes posters from the New York World’s Fair of 1939 and souvenirs from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia and the 1965 New York World’s Fair.

You can see the items at Gray’s Thu 7/27-Mon 7/31; the auction starts at 11am Mon 7/31.

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