Digital Exhibits

Early Days

World’s Fairs, also known as International Expositions or World Expos, highlight the achievements of participating nations, especially the host nation. Combining education and entertainment, World’s Fair exhibits and events often focus on a common theme of global progress and advancement. The first World’s Fair was held in London in 1851, followed by the first American-hosted 1853 World’s Fair in New York, and then the Philadelphia 1876 Centennial Exposition, 23 years later. As the fairs grew in popularity, government agencies realized that they could serve as a venue to advance the United States’ interests.

While the Department of Commerce wasn’t established until February 14, 1903, the Census Bureau, which later became part of the department, created one of the 65,000 exhibits in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. Then a part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Census Bureau displayed the recently created electric tabulating machine, which significantly increased the efficiency of collecting and processing census data. Designed by Herman Hollerith, crowds were delighted by demonstrations of the machine’s speed as census clerks tabulated and presented data from the 1890 census right before their eyes. Hollerith received a bronze medal from the Fair due to the popularity of the display and the invention’s success.

The Census exhibit was one part of the larger fair, which featured architecture and technological marvels. Despite its impressiveness, the Fair also reflected the racism and bigotry common in the era. Organizers designed exhibits about other cultures to suggest the superiority of “Western Civilization.” The fair also featured a model of one of the Indian Schools set up to forcibly assimilate the indigenous inhabitants of the United States.

A Bird’s-eye view of the Columbian Exposition. The Census Bureau’s exhibit quickly became a popular attraction at the fair.
~ Photo Source: Library of Congress

A Commercial Affair: Department of Commerce Participation from 1904–1915

The Bureau of Lighthouses Exhibit at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

The Department of Commerce and Labor made its World’s Fair debut at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, with a 1,966-square-foot exhibit demonstrating the rapid growth of the American population, manufacturing, and agriculture. The fair also featured separate presentations from two agencies now under the Department of Commerce: the Census Bureau and the Lighthouse Board. The Census Bureau displayed the latest tabulating machines used to process census data and create census reports, while the Lighthouse Board showed off the revolving lenses found used to alert ships to nearby shorelines.

A flurry of fairs followed St. Louis, but the Department of Commerce’s next major appearance was the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California. At the fair, the reconstituted Department of Commerce (the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor had been split into two separate agencies in 1913) received the most federal money out of any other department to develop a wide range of exhibits. This time, the featured agencies included the Census Bureau, Coast and Geodetic Survey, and the Bureaus of Standards, Navigation, Lighthouses, and Fisheries. The Department of Commerce’s exhibits, which included, “everything from industrial machinery and depictions of government methods for promoting industry to exhibits of live fish by the fish commission,” won various awards and honors, and the Department of Commerce was awarded the Fair’s overall grand prize for the “study, investigation and betterment of social conditions.”

Close-up view of the Bureau of Lighthouse display at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

It’s a Philly Thing: The Department of Commerce at the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition

The Department of Commerce made a significant appearance at the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The department’s exhibit featured displays from a variety of bureaus and agencies. Part of the extensive exhibit focused on radio technology, which reflected the new era of the “Golden Age of Radio.” There, visitors could view a color-coded, radio map of the United States to identify their local, city, and state-wide radio broadcasting stations, which in turn encouraged them to tune in.

The Lighthouse Bureau and Census Bureau also mounted impressive exhibits. The Lighthouse Bureau created a historical display tracing the development of lighthouses and lighthouse equipment, contrasting historical artifacts such as a 1719 cannon and an early fog signal with a modern combustion engine and an air compressor. A number of buoys, bells, lighthouse lenses, and other relevant objects rounded out the collection. The Census Bureau focused on demonstrating the United States’ evolution over the past century and a half through census data, using visual aids such as maps, charts, graphs, and a population counter. In addition, census records from between 1790 and 1920 were available for viewing, including early census pages that featured Founding Fathers, presidents, and statesmen from censuses taken from 1790 through the 1880s. The Fair awarded the Census Bureau display a gold medal and awarded the Department of Commerce the grand prize.

View of the Bureau of Fisheries Display at the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

Visitors pose at a mine rescue car on display at the Bureau of Mines exhibit. A solitary attendant stands at the other end.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

A Fair Time in the Depression: The Department of Commerce at World’s Fairs in the late 1920s and 1930s

A miniature lighthouse model featured in the Department of Commerce exhibit at the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition in Seville
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

In 1929, the Department of Commerce participated in a World’s Fair overseas: the Ibero-American Exposition in Seville, Spain. The full Department of Commerce exhibit included many objects, including an enormous 13-ton orthophonic machine and radio to broadcast music and speeches, working models of lighthouses, navigational equipment and airplanes, motion pictures depicting American industry, and a world clock. The Bureau of Standards display included an automatic counter that used an electric light ray to scan and register every individual who came through the entrance to view the display. The Bureau of Mines display featured fully operational miniature models of an oil well and an underground coal mine, including modern ventilation, sanitation, and safety measures. The wide variety of artifacts being displayed by the Department of Commerce at this exposition highlighted the size, power, and reach of the department less than three decades after its creation.

Forty years after hosting the grand World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago hosted the Century of Progress Exposition in 1933. This time, the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, so organizers hoped that a celebration of American innovation and technological advancement would excite the nation and demonstrate that hard times would soon give way to a bright future. As the government department charged with promoting economic growth, creating jobs, and protecting American markets, the Department of Commerce had a large stake in ensuring the success of the Century of Progress.

The Department of Commerce created a vast exhibit for the Exposition. The Lighthouse Bureau display included historic and modern equipment while the Census Bureau presented historical census records, census machines, and a display showing factors contributing to population change and the current estimation of the nation’s total population. The Bureau of Mines exhibited ores from a variety of metals, as well as the newest research, safety measures, and equipment used for mining. Posters produced by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce promoting international trade and American importations highlighted American innovations and the importance of having the U.S. as a trading partner.

 

Posters from the Century of Progress Exposition highlight the role of the Department of Commerce in promoting innovation and supporting industry in the United States.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

In 1935, the department participated in the California Pacific International Exposition held in San Diego. Exhibitions included a collection of live fish from the Bureau of Fisheries, an electrical population chart from the Census Bureau, and a diorama of American industry and commerce. The exposition also included exhibits from two new Bureaus: Air Commerce and Navigation. The Bureau of Air Commerce displayed light beacons and radios used by the Federal Airway System, and the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection displayed a model lifeboat, model boiler, engine, and life raft.

View of the Federal Building at the California Pacific International Exposition.
~ Photo Source: The City of San Diego Digital Archives

Storm Clouds Gather at the Fair: The Department of Commerce at the 1939 New York World’s Fair

The bright and colorful poster is promoting the New York World’s Fair of 1939–1940. The grouped flags symbolize the Fair’s goal of international cooperation.
~ Photo Source: Museum of the City of New York

One of the most famous fairs of this era was the 1939 New York World’s Fair held in Flushing, Queens. Known as the “World of Tomorrow,” this fair focused on imagining and preparing for the future. U.S. government exhibits were displayed in what was called The Federal Building. After receiving reports that agency displays were drawing fewer visitors at the fairs than other exhibits, the U.S. Government decided to alter its approach. A commission established by the government consulted with departments, including the Department of Commerce, to design and fabricate the exhibits. Rather than featuring department and agency-specific displays, the exhibits in the building were conducted based on general themes like housing, government support to business, conservation, and agriculture. The Fair enjoyed impressive turnout and included exhibits from 60 countries, 33 states, many federal agencies, the City of New York, and more.

Yet even as the 1939 fair celebrated progress and hope, the wider world was plunging into global conflict. The fair opened on April 30 and was still ongoing on September 1, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. World War II paused international expositions, but in the late 1950s, the fairs revived. During the Cold War, the Department of Commerce once again contributed to several United States pavilions.

A postcard sent to the president of the World’s Fair Corporation testifies to the tensions surrounding the fair. The anti-fascist and anti-communist card includes a note stating the sender would not attend since Italy—then under the control of Benito Mussolini and his fascist party—would have a pavilion.
~ Photo Source: New York Public Library

Commerce in Command: Calling the Shots at Domestic World’s Fairs and Expos, 1955–1964

A Science Demonstrator in the Modern Laboratory section of the exhibit.
~ Photo Source: Department of Commerce

The Unisphere and New York State Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair. While patrons enjoyed the fair, the event was not formally sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions.
~ Photo Source: NYC Parks

“I hereby designate the Department of Commerce as the Department through which the President shall cooperate with the Washington State World Fair Commission,” President Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote Commerce Secretary Lewis L. Strauss in 1958. President Eisenhower tasked the Department with leading the U.S. effort at the next World’s Fair in Seattle.

The department’s efforts resulted in the Science Pavilion, a museum-sized experience that focused on the history and methods of scientific research and discoveries. The Department of Commerce created the exhibit to highlight the role of science in facilitating progress and connect the American public to scientific ideas and concepts. The launch of Sputnik had raised concerns that America was falling behind the Soviet Union, and the exhibits were meant to demonstrate the U.S.’s current strength in science and inspire the next generation of scientists. The exhibit space included a history of science area, a section dedicated to space and space exploration, a children’s exhibit, a section on scientific methods, and an area on what scientific studies might look like in the future. Science demonstrators provided interpretation and presentations in the exhibit.

Following the Seattle World’s Fair, the department also supervised U.S. participation in the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Designed to celebrate New York City’s 300th Anniversary, the fair was held at the same site as the 1939 fair. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Department of Commerce also assisted the State Department with exhibits for several international trade fairs outside of the United States and the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. The U.S. exhibits were created within the context of the Cold War and were meant to demonstrate the superiority of the U.S. economic system over the Soviet Union’s.

“I believe participation in the fair by the Federal Government is essential. The theme “Challenge to Greatness” … will enable us to present to the world not a boastful picture of our unparalleled progress, but a picture of democracy—its opportunities, its problems, its inspirations, and its freedoms.”

~President John F. Kennedy asking Congress to fund and support the Department of Commerce at the 1962 world’s fair.

SHOWING OFF SCIENCE: The Science Demonstrators at the Seattle World’s Fair

For the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, the Department of Commerce hired 40 Science Demonstrators out of an applicant pool of 400, picked for their “personality, appearance, scholastic record, recommendations, outside activities and interests, science, background, and general enthusiasm.” The demonstrators conducted demonstrations, answered questions, and escorted high-profile guests around the site. The Science Demonstrators served as the face of the Science Pavilion and received rave reviews from guests.

View of the Federal Building at the California Pacific International Exposition.
~ Photo Source: The City of San Diego Digital Archives

Falling Out of Love with Fairs: 1965–Present

Crowds at the 1982 Knoxville International Energy Exposition.
~ Photo Source: Knoxville History Project

In 1970, Public Law 91-269 designated that federal participation in World’s Fairs held in the United States would be led by the Department of Commerce, working in conjunction with other federal agencies. The department played an important role in coordinating the Federal Government’s participation in the 1974 International Exposition in Spokane, the 1982 Knoxville International Energy Exposition, and the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans. Still, U.S. public interest in World’s Fairs had started to fade, and both expositions faced controversies over the federal government’s role.

Despite featuring the Space Shuttle Enterprise as a main attraction at the U.S. pavilion, the 1984 exposition declared bankruptcy during its run. While other fairs had also encountered severe financial difficulties, this event, combined with declining interest by the American public, convinced many that the fairs were no longer worthwhile.

With the end of the Cold War, political interest in using the fairs to promote American values faded. Since the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition, no other World’s Fairs have been held in the United States, although the Department of Commerce did contribute to the development of the United States pavilion at the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication in Canada. In 2001, the United States resigned its membership in the Bureau International des Expositions, which organizes the events. While there are still United States pavilions in recent world expositions, the effort is handled by private companies working with the State Department. Still, the legacy of the Department of Commerce’s participation in these events lives on in the memories of those who attended. In recent years, the Department of Commerce has teamed up with the State Department on proposals to bring future World Expos to the United States. Perhaps in the future, the Department of Commerce will once more participate in a World’s Fair in the United States

Not even the Space Shuttle Enterprise, seen here at the 1984 World’s Fair, could revive American’s interest in the fairs.
~ Photo Source: NASA

Crowds on the opening day of the Columbian Exposition. The exposition would eventually draw over 27 million attendees.
~ Photo Source: Library of Congress

The Lighthouse Establishment, then under the Department of the Treasury, was also present at the exposition. Their display included examples of the equipment used to keep ships safe.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

An overhead view of part of the award-winning Department of Commerce’s 1926 exposition display. The Bureau of Fisheries display is on the right, while the Census Bureau display is on the left.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

Lighthouse Bureau display at the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

Posters promoting American imports and American-initiated international trade from the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration

A colorful brochure published by the American Express Travel Service to promote the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition in San Diego.
~ Photo Source: Dan Abbott Collection, California Pacific International Exposition Digital Archive

Digital Exhibits researched and developed in coordination with History Associates Incorporated

Digital Exhibits researched and developed in coordination with History Associates Incorporated