"The Fair" no. 2
Permanent ID:
12796
Date:
circa 1850
Image Description:
Second copy of "The Fair," a miniature, hand-written juvenile magazine by John G. or James G. Whiteman, about the Franklin Institute's Exhibition of American Manufacturers. The exhibition was an annual display of new American inventions. While Whiteman writes that this fair is the 4th annual exhibition, he is likely writing about the 20th, which took place in autumn 1850. Whiteman integrated the exhibition into his and his brothers' fictionalized town based on Philadelphia, which they called "Smokyville."
This issue details and illustrates items at the manufacturer's exhibition, including gilded books, images of London pressed into sealing wax, spring scales, the perfumery, a foot lathe, and others.
The small magazine is held together with a straight pin.
Address:
Philadelphia
Format:
Manuscripts
Dimensions:
Width: 4 cm, Height: 4.5 cm (image)