Digitized Content from World's Columbian Exposition Watercolor Prints | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

The digitized content of the World's Columbian Exposition Watercolor Prints, 1893 consists of seventeen watercolor painting prints that depict scenes from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition before and during the fair. All but two prints were signed by thirteen different artists.

Most of the prints were likely used as illustrations from the publication World’s Columbian Exposition. The book of the builders; being the chronicle of the origin and plan of the World’s Fair by Daniel Hudson Burnham and Francis Davis Millet, published in 1894.

The digitized content contains seventeen watercolor painting prints. Four prints depict scenes during the construction of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition while the remaining prints depict various scenes during the fair’s run. These prints include murals and statues displayed at the fair as well as scenes showing spectators viewing different cultural events.

The World's Columbian Exposition Watercolor Prints, 1893 was completely digitized in 2025. Items are available online at the University of Illinois Digital Library. A preservation copy of the items is available to IHLC and digital preservation staff at the Library Digital Repository: https://medusa.library.illinois.edu/collections/2384/.