Digital Exhibits: Championing Commerce at the World’s Fair

Championing Commerce at the World’s Fair

Bringing American Commerce to the World

For decades, the Department of Commerce used World’s Fairs to highlight American industry, innovation, and success. Knowing that these Fairs were an opportunity to display American progress, the department, sometimes working in conjunction with other government agencies, presented extensive exhibits to reflect the country’s growing industrial and commercial power. From counting machines to futuristic science exhibits, the Department of Commerce’s contributions to these events shaped perceptions of American influence and the country’s role in the global economy.

[Left] Visitors view the Bureau of Fisheries display at the Sesquicentennial International Exposition in 1926. Exhibits like this promoted the Department of Commerce’s work and the success of American commerce and industry.
~ Photo Source: National Archives and Records Administration