Posters of the 1893 Columbia Exposition of Chicago are the holy grail of world's fair posters.
The Fair was intended to outshine the 1891 Paris Exposition and its Eiffel Tower, to reveal the promise of America and the rising city of Chicago. Built at record speed by many of America's best architects and designers, the fair would succeed on many scores.
"Chicago Day" was set 3 weeks before the close of the Fair. Commemorating the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, it celebrated a remarkable revival of the city. With all of Chicago given the day off, the huge celebration drew 716,026 visitors, almost double the highest daily total of the 1891 Paris fair. It was proclaimed as the largest peace-time gathering in the history of the world!