New York World's Fair scrapbook and photographs
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Abstract
A scrapbook and photographs documenting the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair.
Biographical / Historical
Excerpted from the Historical Note for New York World's Fair collection (ARC.077), finding aid by Miranda Schwartz.
Despite the Great Depression and instability in Europe, engineer Joseph F. Shagden and Edward F. Roosevelt, cousin to United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, began to plan in 1935 for a 1939 World's Fair to take place in New York City, its purpose being to "celebrate the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington and the launching of the new American government under the Constitution." The 1939 theme, "Building the World of Tomorrow," had as its grand architectural symbols an immense white sphere called the Perisphere and a triangular obelisk called the Trylon. A special attraction called "Democracity," illustrating the delights of a city of the future, was also a highlight of the exhibition. The Fair ran from April 30, 1939, to October 31, 1939, and then from May 11, 1940, to October 27, 1940. Dozens of countries participated, building grand pavilions to present their cultures and traditions to all Fair attendees. In addition, scores of businesses presented exhibits showcasing new wares and products, including the American companies General Electric, Consolidated Edison, and the National Broadcasting Corporation. Masterpieces of Renaissance art were also shown in art exhibitions, while the popular "Town of Tomorrow" showed fifteen demonstration homes, each designed to appeal to a different taste.
The site for the fair was Flushing Meadows Park in Flushing, Queens. Extensive work was done before the 1939 Fair to convert the site from its previous existence as a giant ash heap to a suitable park, fairgrounds and exhibition site. Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, who was to play a large role in the later 1964 World's Fair plans, was involved in ensuring that the community would get a usable park after the Fair was over.
Sources: "Gateway to the World's Fair," New York Herald Tribune, April 30, 1939, pp. 2-6.
Arrangement
The materials are arranged by type and indicated provenance.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of one scrapbook, loose pages from a photograph album with handwritten captions, and loose photographs that depict the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair. The scrapbook is a souvenir album with the fair name and date embossed on its front cover and contains ephemera, amateur snapshots, and professional photographs as well as typed captions from a first-person perspective throughout. The scrapbook seems to have been created by Mrs. Fannie Neumann, a Brooklynite. The primarily black and white photographs depict attractions at the fair both with and without people.
Subjects
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People
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction. The collection may only be used in the library and is not available through interlibrary loan. Requests to view the collection must be made at least 48 hours in advance of visit.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Portions of the collection were the gifts of Mrs. Fannie Neumann, Paul Cox, and Edmund Morton.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
If digital surrogates exist, they should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The scrapbook and loose album pages were found in collection together under the accession number V1977.024 and the title "Album of World's Fair 1939-1940, photographs by Fannie Neumann and others." There was no analog accession file under that number with any additional information.
The loose photographs were found in ARC.202 (Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection) under the subject heading World's Fair, 1939 and were grouped in envelopes identifying them as the gift of Paul Cox and Edmund Morton, respectively, along with the labels "Neumann Papers" and "from Neumann papers," so they were added to accession V1977.024 to form this collection.
