Large international exhibitions were popular during the Industrial Revolution and especially between 1850 and 1940. These Industrial Expositions and World’s Fairs showcased the achievements of nations and attracted large numbers of people to the city or region where the Exposition or World’s Fair was hosted. They became the platform to display technological inventions such as the telephone, electricity, talking films, the escalator, the x-ray machine, the incubator and the Ferris wheel, and a way to introduce visitors to different cultures.
The Mechanics’ Institute hosted 31 Industrial Exhibitions (smaller and more region-centric than the international and world’s fairs) between 1857 and 1899 as a way to promote fledgling California industries and to raise money for the Institute.
The Industrial Expositions and World’s Fair Special Collection at MI was largely collected by representatives of the Institute, such as Andrew Hallidie, who attended the fairs and expositions to gather information that could be applied to the Industrial Exhibitions that the Mechanics’ hosted. Of course, the largest part of our collection (150+ items) is devoted to the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) that took place in San Francisco in 1915, but we have 50+ books and pamphlets from the Golden Gate International Exposition (1939), 20+ items from the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893), and several items from the California Midwinter International Exposition (1894).
Additionally, we have an interesting collection of books and pamphlets from other Expositions and World’s Fairs including the Lewis and Clark Exposition (1905), the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London (1851), the Hudson-Fulton Celebration (1909), the Jamestown Exhibition (1907), the Atlanta International Exposition (1895), the New York World’s Fair (1939), the Exposition Universelle in Paris (1900), Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1906), and the U.S. Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia (1876).
Stop by the archival display case on the 2nd floor to view an exhibit of some of the items from the Mechanics’ Institute’s Industrial Expositions and World’s Fairs Special Collection.
