Sign up to receive email notices of recent acquisitions.

The Worlds Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, U.S.A. 1885.

Rochester, New York: L. U. Dodge Landscape View Co., Artistic Lithographing, 1885. Chromolithographic view book, 6.15” x 3.75”, purple paper over boards, with chromolithographic title label on front board. Map at front pastedown, 6” x 3.5”, 9 chromolithographic views, 6” x 3.5”, on a single accordion fold strip, 31.25” x 6”. CONDITION: Good, light wear throughout, 3.5” and .5” tears to “Main Building” view, a few separations along accordion folds, tape repairs on verso to folds.

A scarce and very attractive view book comprising nine chromolithographs of the 1884–85 World’s Fair held in New Orleans and a map of the Exposition.

The World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition (also known as World Cotton Centennial) was held from December 16th, 1884 to June 1st, 1885. Drawing over one million visitors, the fair was held to commemorate 100 years of the cotton industry in America and took place in Upper City Park, a 300-acre tract that once was the site of a plantation. The views included here—most of which show visitors strolling along the Exposition’s many paths and are printed within decorative borders—are titled as follows: Birdseye View of World’s Exposition; Main Building; United States and State Exhibits; Horticultural Hall; The Art Gallery; Machinery Extension; Mexican National Exhibits; Mexican Pagoda; and Grand Rapids (Mich.) Furniture Pavilion. The dimensions (in feet) of each pictured building are also given—the largest being the Main Building, at 1378’ x 905’, flying numerous international flags from its roof. The “Birdseye View of the World’s Exposition” depicts the exposition grounds, as well as the Mississippi River in the background.

A map on the front pastedown shows the ground plan of the fair, which abuts the Mississippi River on the left side. A key identifies twelve sites (A–L), including several not pictured: the Grand Fountain, Live Stock Stables, and a Mississippi River wharf. Also shown are walking paths, spot heights, trees, ponds, and more.

Landscape artist and lithographer Loudon U. Dodge (1839–1887) founded the Dodge Art Publishing Co. in the early 1880s, then moved to Rochester, changing the firm’s name to L. U. Dodge Landscape View Co. Surviving works by Dodge seem mainly to be chromolithographic view books, but we have handled as well a very rare folio view of Gillen Orange Grove, Deland, Florida (Rochester, 1885).

Just five copies are recorded in OCLC, at the Smithsonian, Historic New Orleans, Princeton, University of Texas at Austin, and Wolfsonian-Florida International University.

REFERENCES: “The 1884 Cotton Expo and New Orleans’ first case of World’s Fair fever” (2017) at NOLA online.

Item #9185

Sold

Add to Wish List