1893 Chicago Worlds Fair

An elephant hide at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair. The African elephant hide was displayed in the Shoe and Leather Building. The green weight, of the hide, was eight hundred pounds and the tanned weight was five hundred pounds. It took two years to tan the hide


A Great Siberian Mammoth on display in the Anthropological Building at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Dr. L. Martin supervised the construction of this life-size model.

The World Columbian Exposition, also know as the Chicago Worlds Fair was held from May to October 1893 in Chicago in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the new world. In competition with many other cities, Chicago was finally designated the official site and the Exposition was built on 630 acres in and around Jackson Park. It was a spectacular display of progress and prosperity, and included among its many wonders electrical exhibits, exhibits from other countries, and a popular amusement area on Midway Plaisance with carnival rides, among them the first Ferris Wheel. Most of the fair's architecture was based on classical design which gave the area around the Court of Honor the name "The White City."