The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Melissa Cliff Collection 1893-2004
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| Title: | Cliff, Melissa. Collection |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1893-2004 |
| Size: | 22 linear feet (18 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | The Melissa Cliff Collection represents a set of items that were collected by the donor and relate to three world’s fairs held in the United States: the 1893 Chicago, 1904 St. Louis and 1933 Chicago fairs. Items include ephemera and memorabilia that were produced during all three fairs, as well as books and some photographic media of grounds and exhibits. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Cliff, Melissa. Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
The second half of the nineteenth century and the early third of the twentieth were the heyday of world congresses and fairs. The 1851 London Exposition inaugurated the genre of world’s fairs, with a different European and then American city hosting a fair every few years thereafter. For contemporaries, memorable fairs were the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago. Like the 1889 Paris Exposition, which featured the Eiffel Tower, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis remains known for the Gateway Arch.
The Melissa Cliff Collection consists of items pertaining to world’s fairs held in the U.S. that were gathered over time by Melissa Cliff. Items in the collection range from 1893 to 2004 but the bulk falls between 1893 and 1934. The collection is divided in three series corresponding to the 1893 Chicago, 1904 St. Louis and 1933 Chicago fairs. Each series is further arranged into subseries according to material type: memorabilia, ephemera, books, photographic media, and subsequent writings. Only Series I for 1893 Chicago contains all five subseries (i.e., all five types of material) and Series II and III contain two and three subseries, respectively. In contrast to ephemera, items designated as memorabilia were produced during a fair but were intended to be kept afterwards. The largest share of items in this collection is memorabilia. “Subsequent writings” refer to articles written well after a fair had ended. In certain cases, books were also published after a given fair but have been arranged in the book subseries for consistency in grouping by material type.
Albert, Allen D., Reports on World's Fairs, 1929
Buzzell, Edgar A. Collection, 1892-1910
Green, Arnold. Collection
Lindblad, Andrew. Collection, 1839-1937
Mueller, Ian. Collection
Scammon, Arianna E. Collection
World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 Collection
Chicago Collections Consortium “1893 World’s Fair” and “1933 World’s Fair” Collections
Series I: 1893 Exposition in Chicago |
Subseries 1: Memorabilia |
| Box 1 | Decorative porcelain plates with paintings of buildings, circa 1893 |
| Box 2 | Decorative porcelain plates with paintings of buildings, 1893 |
| Box 2 | Engraved metal saucer, 1893 |
| Box 3 | Paper weights showing the Electrical Building, circa 1893 |
| Box 3 | Coin, W. Deering & Co., 1893 |
| Box 3 | Decorative spoons with etchings of Agriculture and Transportation Buildings, circa 1893 |
Subseries 2: Ephemera |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Indexed map of fairgrounds, Rand McNally, 1893 |
Subseries 3: Photographic Media |
| Box 5 | Photo album in German of fairgrounds and exhibits, 1893 |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | Photographic print of Chicago Day, 1893 |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | Photographic print of Industry Statue, 1893 |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | Photographic print of North Lagoon, 1893 |
Subseries 4: Books |
| Box 7 Folder 1 | Chicago Tribune souvenir picture book, “Glimpses of the World’s Fair,” 1893 |
| Box 7 Folder 2 | Jeanne Madeline Weimann, “The Fair Women: The Story of Building the World’s Columbian Exposition” (1981) |
| Box 7 Folder 3 | “The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893: A Photographic Record” (Dover, 1980) |
Subseries 5: Subsequent Writings |
| Box 8 Folder 1 | Chicago Tribune article “Where to Find Remnants of the White
|
Series II: 1904 Exposition in St. Louis |
Subseries 1: Memorabilia |
| Box 9 | Glass plate reading “World’s Fair, St. Louis,” 1904 |
| Box 9 | Porcelain plate with painting of Electricity Building, 1904 |
| Box 9 | Small copper plated tray with etching of Palace of Varied Industries, 1904 |
Subseries 2: Books |
| Box 10 | “The Official History of the Fair: St. Louis 1904” (1904) |
| Box 11 Folder 1 | Dorothy D. Birk, “The World Came to St. Louis” (1990) |
Series III: 1933-34 Exposition in Chicago |
Subseries 1: Ephemera |
| Box 11 Folder 2 | Postcards, 1933-34 |
| Box 11 Folder 3 | Exhibit and sponsor brochures, 1933-34 |
| Box 11 Folder 4 | World’s Fair Weekly, 1933-34 [1/2] |
| Box 11 Folder 5 | World’s Fair Weekly, 1933-34 [2/2] |
| Box 11 Folder 6 | “Official Pictures” magazine, 1933-34 |
| Box 11 Folder 7 | Booklet of souvenir tickets, 1933-34 |
| Box 11 Folder 8 | Promotional sugar cubes by Walgreens, 1933-34 |
| Box 12 Folder 1 | World’s Fair photo wheel, 1933-34 |
| Box 12 Folder 2 | “Official World’s Fair in Pictures” magazine, 1933 |
Subseries 2: Memorabilia |
| Box 12 Folder 3 | Brass bookmark with “Century of Progress” etching, 1933-34 |
| Box 13 | Two painted ceramic mugs, 1933-34 |
| Box 14 | Brass commemorative key, 1933-34 |
| Box 15 | Three silver spoons with etchings of fair buildings, 1933-34 |
| Box 15 | Brass match book cover, 1933-34 |
| Box 15 | Pocket knife with Mickey Mouse emblem, 1933-34 |
| Box 15 | Brass cuff bracelet, 1993-34 |
| Box 16 | Oval glass bottle with etched illustration, 1933-34 |
| Box 17 | Completed puzzle of an aerial illustration of fairgrounds, 1933-34 |
| Box 18 | Small pot metal tray with etched “Scenes from the World’s,” 1933-34 |
| Box 18 | Porcelain plate with illustration of the “Art Institute”, 1933-34 |
Subseries 3: Subsequent Writings |
| Box 19 Folder 1 | Brochures from the 2004 exhibition “Architecture and Chicago’s 1933-34 World’s Fair,” Chicago Architecture Foundation |