1904 St Louis Worlds Fair Vintage Postcards

The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, was held in St. Louis, Missouri, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. It was the largest world’s fair to date; attracting nearly 19 million visitors. It is distinguished for being the first world’s fair with an admission price of only one dollar. 

The fair celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, and Main Street at the fair became known as the Avenue of Nations, lined with flags of the various nations involved in the purchase. The fair commemorated the event with a 272-foot (83 m) tall signal tower, which displayed colored lights that could be seen for miles. Here are some official vintage postcards from the Fair.

Meet Me in St. Louis

One of my favorite classic films is Meet Me in St. Louis starring Judy Garland. The characters in the movie visit the fair at the end.

The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase.

The 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. The event was an enormous undertaking, with over 60 nations and 43 states represented. It was also the first world’s fair to be held in the United States.

The fair was held in Forest Park, which had been significantly expanded and improved for the occasion. New buildings included the Palace of Fine Arts (now the Saint Louis Art Museum) and the Illustration Building. The grounds also featured a travelogue of the United States, with miniature replicas of various landmarks.

The fair was a massive undertaking, and it was not without its challenges. There were concerns about crime, as the city was not used to hosting such a large number of visitors. There were also concerns about sanitation, as the crowded conditions could lead to the spread of disease.

Despite these challenges, the fair was a huge success. Over 20 million people visited the fair between April and December 1904. It was a showcase of American progress and a celebration of the country’s cultures. The fair helped to boost St. Louis’s economy and cement its reputation as a major city.

2. The fair was held in Forest Park and featured over 1,500 exhibit buildings.

In 1904, the World’s Fair was held in St. Louis, Missouri to commemorate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. The fair was held in Forest Park and featured over 1,500 exhibit buildings. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was the biggest World’s Fair up to that time. It attracted more than 20 million visitors from around the world.

The fairgrounds were designed to be a beautiful, naturalistic setting. The main fairgrounds were in Washington Park, with the main entrance at Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue. There were also exhibits in Forest Park, including the Flight Cage, where birds were displayed.

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was a showcase for the latest in technology and innovation. One of the most popular attractions was the 1904 World’s Fair Ferris wheel. It was the biggest Ferris wheel ever built, and it carried 2,160 passengers at a time. Another popular attraction was the “Thunderbolt”, a wooden roller coaster.

The fair also featured many cultural exhibits. There was an exhibit of Native American art and culture, as well as exhibits from many different countries. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was a celebration of the diversity of the United States.

The fair was held for six months, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. It was a great success, and it was the last World’s Fair to be held in the United States for more than 20 years.

3. One of the most popular attractions at the fair was the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Palace of Varied Industries, which showcased products from all over the world.

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition Palace of Varied Industries was one of the most popular attractions at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The palace showcased products from all over the world, including exotic items from the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territories. Visitors to the palace could see everything from Native American crafts to African masks to French furniture.

The palace was a massive structure, covering nearly two hectares of ground. It was designed to showcase the Industrial Arts of the World, and featured a wide variety of exhibitors. The United States government was one of the largest exhibitors, and had a pavilion that featured products from the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territories.

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was a huge success, and attracted millions of visitors from all over the world. It was a showcase for the newest products and technologies, and helped to boost American trade and commerce. The Palace of Varied Industries was one of the most popular attractions at the fair, and helped to make the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair a resounding success.

4. Another popular attraction was the Diving Bell, which allowed visitors to experience what it was like to be underwater.

The Diving Bell was one of the most popular attractions at the 1904 St Louis World’s Fair. Visitors could experience what it was like to be underwater, and see the fish and other sea creatures up close. The Diving Bell was a huge hit with the visitors, and was one of the highlights of the fair.

5. The fair was a success, attracting over 20 million visitors from all over the world.

The 1904 St Louis World’s Fair was a resounding success, attracting over 20 million visitors from all over the globe. It was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, and showcased the many wonders of the American West.

There was something for everyone at the fair. For those interested in science and technology, there were exhibits on electricity, the wireless telegraph, and even an early version of the automobile. There were also displays of natural resources from the West, including minerals, timber, and oil.

But the fair wasn’t just about science and technology. There was also a strong cultural element, with exhibits on the arts, music, and literature of the American West. There were even Indigenous Peoples from the region on display, giving visitors a rare glimpse into their cultures.

The 1904 World’s Fair was a true celebration of the American West, and its success ensured that St. Louis would remain an important city on the national stage for years to come.

The 1904 St Louis World’s Fair commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. The fair was a success, with over 20 million people attending. It showcased the advances made in the United States in the past 100 years, and promoted international unity and understanding.

Palace of Transportation and Palace of Manufactures

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Vintage Halloween Party Games and Halloween Scavenger Hunt Card

halloween party games

Holidays come and go, but Halloween is vested with the charm of all that is magical and mystical. This page features ideas of vintage Halloween party games. Including a free printable Halloween scavenger hunt game card. Witches and black cats prowl playing mischief and wicked jokes on Halloween night. A witch stopped by this page on Call Me Victorian to share her favorite ideas for classic Halloween party games. What better way to celebrate the final day of October when the air is crisp and the autumn leaves blow around like dancing fairies in the night. Some classic party games have been around for decades and are always fun to play at any get together.

Race for the treat

Tie a treat in the center of a string about 3 feet long. Have two people (preferable a couple) with the string in their mouth at each end. Using only their mouths, they must eat the string until the first one who reaches the treat in the center wins. They can then eat the treat, or they win a kiss from the loser.

Spooky Item Pass Around

Let your imagination do the rest. Sit around a table with guests and the host will pass around prepared items to blind folded guests, they will only be able to feel the items and they won’t know what they are. Use items that are squishy, furry or have lots of texture. Each guest will then have to guess what items were passed around and the person who can name the most correct, wins! Some good suggestions are cooked noodles, skinned grapes as eyeballs, gummy worms, feathered items, rabbits foot key chain, gel filled stress balls, bags of beans.

Snapdragon

Fill a punch bowl with half an inch of brandy and light it on fire. Put out the lights so only the blazing fire lights the room. Handfuls of raisins or candied fruits and placed in the flaming bowl and players must then reach in and pull out raisins or other food that is in the flaming bowl. Players get a SNAP from burning fingers. I heard about this one from Agatha Christie’s Halloween Party novel. Whoever retrieves the most amount of fruits from the fire is the winner. This game is not for the faint of heart as you can get burned, but it was played by children in days past.

Shadow Game

Stretch a sheet across a doorway or in the center of the room. Place a lamp behind the sheet and put out all the lights in the room. People can take turns acting out behind the sheet and you can play a game like charades guessing what they are acting out. The dark and spooky lighting ads the Halloween touch to the game making it more ghostly behind the sheet as a shadow game.

Fortune Telling by Witches

Witches hold the treads of fate in their power on Halloween Night. One popular halloween party game for young girls was fortune telling. Have the girls burn a candle and drop some of the wax in a bowl, read fortunes based on the shape of the wax. Girls can also gaze into looking glasses to see their future husbands.

Halloween Scavenger Hunt – Free Printable Game Card

free-printable-halloween-scavenger-hunt-game-card

halloween-scavenger-hunt-free-printable

This vintage inspired printable Halloween game card template can be used to play your own chilling Halloween night scavenger hunt. Party Guests can use their cell phones to take selfies with items or just that photos of items that meet the requirements. Please use for Personal use ONLY – it can be printed on letter sized paper and cut into 4th to make 4 cards per page. Or use the digital image to play online. You can also print onto color paper or cardstock. Click to open and save or print Adobe PDF

 

Related Halloween Posts on Call Me Victorian:

Free Halloween Printable Art Printfree printable halloween party invitations

Valentine’s Day History

vintage valentineJust where St. Valentine fits into Valentine’s Day and why the day should be named in his honor is a little bit of a mystery – it is really Cupid’s day, and one could scarcely accuse the little love god of having ever been a bishop of the early Christian church.

The St Valentines were, for there were two of them, involved in the early church. One was a bishop of the church in Greece and cured the son of a rhetorician, Craton, of a serious illness. The second St Valentine, who was the main inspiration for the holiday, was one of the earliest of the Roman popes at the time of the Claudian persecutions in the third century. Continue reading Valentine’s Day History

Privilege of Marriage

Rules from Thomas Paine’s Utopia – I  don’t think anyone would be eligible for marriage vintage man and womantoday:

“Their women are not married before eighteen nor their men before two-and-
twenty, and if any of them run into forbidden embraces before marriage
they are severely punished, and the privilege of marriage is denied them
unless they can obtain a special warrant from the Prince.  Such disorders cast a great reproach upon the master and mistress of the family in which they happen, for it is supposed that they have failed in their duty.

Continue reading Privilege of Marriage