Photographs of the World’s Fair: 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition Book For Sale

1893 Chicago World’s Fair Premium Advanced Collectors Archive. Authentic framed 3 ticket display, 1894 deluxe subscription photo book, and 2 loose portrait tickets. Up for sale is a spectacular, museum-quality instant collection tracking the legendary 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition (Chicago World’s Fair) and the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This highly curated estate archive features rare, premium commemorative items perfect for an immediate historical home display or an advanced ephemera portfolio. ITEM 1: “Photographs of the Wold’s Fair” Hardover Book (Copyright 1894)
**Publisher: ** The Werner Company, Chicago (Copyright 1894)
**Edition:**Rare “Sold Only By Subscription” Deluxe Printing.
**Special Features:** Explicitly Includes Detailed Photos and written overviews of the world-famous “Midway Plaisante” (the historic home of the worlds first Ferris Wheel)
**Cover:** Heavy antique leather binding featuring gorgeous, deep gold-embossed lettering.
**Interior Pages:** Beautifully preserved, high-quality, sepia-tinted photographic plates capturing the jaw-dropping scale of the “White City” architecture and international pavilions.
**Condition:** Pages are crisp with rich, vivid sepia tones. The binding is completely structurally sound and secure. The exterior leather edges and corners exhibit honest, attractive antique shelf wear as shown in the photos. ITEM 2: Custom 3-Piece Framed Exposition Ticket Gallery Display.
Housed beautifully inside a single, clean, modern matte-black gallery frame are three highly sought-after, genuine World’s Fair admission tickets:
1. **Top Ticket:** 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition “Manhattan Day” (Oct 21, 1893) featuring a detailed Statue of Liberty engraving and attached left stub.
2. **Middle Ticket:** 1893 World’s Colombian Exposition “Chicago Day” Child’s Ticket (Oct 9, 1893) featuring a prominent central Eagle vignette, large “X” stamped, and attached stub.
3. **Bottom Ticket:** 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition “San Francisco Day” (Nov 2, 1915) depicting the iconic Palace of Fine Art, complete with a bold “I PAID” validation stamp.
**Display Condition:** The ticket rest completely flat and are beautifully arranged. To preserve the integrity and safety of the historical paper, the frame backing has not been disassembled or altered to inspect the internal mounting method. Sold exactly as pictured. ITEM 3: Two (2) Loose Premium 1893 Portrait Admission Tickets.
Stored safely in protective collector sleeve, this archive includes two highly coveted portrait variants from the official 1893 admission series:
1. **Ticket 1 (Indian Chief Variant): ** Series A, featuring the stunning engraved portrait American Indian Chief in a full feathered headdress.
2. **Ticket 2 (Abraham Lincoln Variant): **Series A, featuring the iconic portrait of President Abraham Lincoln. (Note: Features a faint historic pencil dealer mark “2.75 PUE” near the top edge, consistent with old estate inventory handling).
**Cancellation Stamps: **Both loose pieces feature original, round blue ink splotches/stamps applied by turnstile gatekeepers at the fairgrounds in 1893, providing wonderful historical character and verifying these pieces were actively used at the fairgrounds.SECURED AUTHENTICITY NOTES (Buy with Confidence)
Every ticket in this collection has been meticulously examined under a magnifying lens to ensure historical authenticity.
**Anti-Counterfeit Security Features:** The 1893 tickets showcase the advanced security element unique to the American Bank Note Company’s 19th-century printing. This includes genuine, light- reflecting mica planchette flakes (glistening flecks) and distinct colored silk security fibers (microscopic “hairs”) woven directly into the liquid card stock pulp during paper manufacturing.
**Antique Ink Character: **Under magnification, the heavy oiled-based intaglio black text and the details on the Statue of Liberty exhibit the beautiful, natural microscopic ink “feathering” and softness expected from authentic 130+ year old printing. They are absolutely NOT modern flat digital reprints or photo reprints. SAFE SHIPPING & HANDLING
Due to significant weight of the antique leather book and the fragile glass frame, this entire lot will be packaged with extreme professional care.
*The book will be wrapped to protect the leather and thickly bubble-wrapped.
*The loose tickets will be securely packaged in their protective sleeves between rigid layers of cardboard.
*The frame will be thoroughly isolated with heavy-duty padding to prevent glass breakage.
*Shipped via UPS Ground with tracking and full item value insurance included. *Please review all provided photos to assess condition. Please reach out with any questions prior to offerding or submitting an offer!