Official Exhibition Publications
United States Centennial Commission.
Official Catalogue. Philadelphia: J.R. Nagle and Company, 1876-.
Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/285764
A version of this text has been digitized and is available through the Internet Archive.
Digitized Version
Pennsylvania and the Centennial Exposition: Comprising the Preliminary and Final Reports of the Pennsylvania Board of Centennial Managers
Popularly known as “world’s fairs”, international exhibitions focusing on the development of art and industry trace their modern roots back to the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations held in London at the Crystal Palace. Using this model, the Philadelphia City Council decided to host a grand celebration for the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which is recognized as the founding date of the United States of America. The Centennial Exposition involved the building of about 200 temporary structures that hosted thirty-five countries, over 14,000 businesses, and around ten million visitors.
On display here is the official catalog produced by the Centennial Commission listing all of the participating exhibitors organized across the seven departments: Mining and Metallurgy, Manufacturers, Education and Science, Art, Machinery, Agriculture, and Horticulture. While it would have been useful for visitors navigating exhibit grounds in Fairmount Park, it also served as a souvenir from the historical event. The final report also on display shows how the Pennsylvania government assessed the event once it had concluded. The exposition was a complex and expensive undertaking, and this postmortem analysis helped to justify the event as a success despite being a financial loss. This copy of the report was donated by Lehigh’s founder, Asa Packer, and documents many items of local interest such as the Bethlehem Iron Works, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, and the Lehigh Valley Railroad, of which Packer was President.
Pennsylvania. Board of Centennial Managers.
Pennsylvania and the Centennial Exposition: Comprising the Preliminary and Final Reports of the Pennsylvania Board of Centennial Managers. Philadelphia: Printed for the Pennsylvania Board of Centennial Managers, by Gillin & Nagle, 1878.
Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/285783
A version of this text has been digitized and is available through the Internet Archive.