Poleni, Theodore “Bird's Eye View. Centennial International Exhibition. Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. 1876"

Theodore Poleni.  “Bird's Eye View. Centennial International Exhibition. Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. 1876.” 

Philadelphia: Thomas Hunter, 1875.  17 1/2 x 23 ½.  Tinted lithograph by Aubrun.  Creases in the title margin. Several short tears in the margins.  Else, good condition.  A/A

This lithograph shows the proposed buildings and their locations for the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition, the first World’s Fair in the United States. Thomas Hunter, who took over the firm of P.S. Duval & Son, and continued to issue excellent prints of Philadelphia.  The largest group of prints Hunter  issued was a series of the major buildings at the fair in an effort to publicize and raise money for this ambitious project.  The prints were based upon official plans for the buildings, and they were designed to be sold separately as souvenirs of what was to become America’s first great tourist attraction. 

The expansive fairgrounds in Fairmount Park, shown in this image, were visited by almost 10 million people over the course of the exhibition. Major buildings are labeled in the print’s lower margin, including the Art Gallery, Main Building, Agricultural Hall, Machinery Hall, Horticultural Hall, and U.S. Government Building.