World's Fairs and Expositions Collection
by Amanda Bernstein - Special Collections / National Fairground Archive
Visual ephemera from the 1851 Crystal palace Exhibition. This is a diverse and growing collection of mostly ephemeral material relating to the golden age of world's fairs and expositions dating from the mid-nineteenth century. The collection includes material covering fairs and expositions from Europe and the United States and ranges from programmes, guides, tickets, postcards and advertisements to published books and special newspapers, with the majority of material pertaining to the great American expositions.
Expositions, which could last for up to six months, were on a much larger and grander scale than exhibitions which may only last a few months. Exhibitions and expositions could be regional, national, or international in scope. Promoting scientific, technological and artistic endeavours and achievements, these events allowed the organizers to invite the world to a spectacular celebration, not least of the host nation's talents in organizing such a large-scale event. Some world's fairs may have celebrated an historic event in the host nations' history, while others may have promoted the country's or region's industry as a means of stimulating trade and promoting cultural ideologies.
The exhibitions that followed the 1851 Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace were held in Cork in 1852, Dublin and New York in 1853, and Munich in 1854. Many other countries built on the themes of the Great Exhibition including five events held in Australia from 1879 to 1894, and Vienna, Amsterdam and Antwerp. However it was France and the United States which developed and expanded the ideology of the Great Exhibition and created events of international and political significance.
World's fairs, or expos as they are sometimes called, of the twentieth century made technology of the future a predominant theme. They attracted millions of visitors and generated millions of pounds for the host country, with the notable exception of the Millennium Experience housed in the Millennium Dome in Greenwich which attracted only between four and six million visitors, just over a third of its expected attendance target. The Dome cost over £700 million to build and was technically insolvent when it finally closed in January 2001.
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