Chicago World's Fair, A Century of Progress - Hall of Science
- 1933
- Weimer Pursell
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27 1/2 x 42 inches ~ (68 x 106 cm)$5,600
- Linen backed
Linen backing is the industry standard of conservation. Canvas is stretchered and a sheet of acid free barrier paper is laid down. The poster is then pasted to the acid free paper using an acid free paste. This process is fully reversible and gives support to the poster. A border of linen is left around the poster and can be used by a framer to mount the poster so that nothing touches the poster itself.
The price of this poster includes linen backing.
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A- condition, one tear approx 8 inches bottom center.
The Hall of Science is possibly the rarest of posters for the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair. Dubbed the Century of Progress, is was a celebration of the centenary of the city’s founding. Intended to demonstrate the progress of humanity through scientific technology, the fair’s central aim was to lift the Chicago out of the depths of the Great Depression by encouraging collaboration between governments, scientists and industries.
This poster highlights the importance of architecture to the fair, focussing on five of its most prominent buildings. The main illustration is of the Hall of Science – the centrepiece of the 1933 fair, designed by classically-trained architect Paul Cret (1876-1945). The Hall of Science was based around the quintessentially American form of the skyscraper, and it is this very contemporary feature of the design that Pursell highlights. The four other buildings illustrated at the bottom of the poster emphasise the overall scale of construction (as well as the use of contemporary, streamlined forms). These buildings are, left to right, the Federal Building, the Electrical Building, the Travel and Transport Building, and the Agricultural Building.
