[St. Louis World's Fair]
Vintage 1904 Postcard
Lovely vintage "hold-to-the-light" postcard showing a colorful drawing of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair Administration Building, with various cut outs to allow light to pass through. A pencilled note to recto reads, "Leave Monday for Chicago, where I will stay a few days / E.J. Postmarked October 13, and October 17, 1904. Slight toning throughout and some stray marks, overall in fine condition. 5.5 x 3.5 inches (14 x 8.9 cm.)."In April 1904, St. Louis opened its doors to the world for what was officially called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, but was widely known as the St. Louis World’s Fair. Millions of dollars had been spent to build the 1,200-acre fairgrounds and its nearly 1,500 buildings—a huge scale that ended up delaying the opening by a year. During the eight months the fair stayed open, nearly 20 million people paid a visit. On display were marvels of technology, agriculture, art, and history, and there were amusement rides and entertainment to be found in a section called “the Pike.” The fair introduced a huge audience to some relatively new inventions such as private automobiles, outdoor electric lighting, and the X-ray machine—as well as foods from across the United States and around the world." (The Atlantic, St. Louis World's Fair, theatlantic.com) (19901)
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