EDITORS: Image available on request

ANN ARBOR—Every fair, from a small county event to a world exposition, offers much in the way of food, whether it’s corn dogs, taffy apples or some sort of meat wrapped in a bun, pita, or tortilla.

One of the largest fairs of its time was Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 where “vendors and restaurants had to feed the 28 million visitors,” said Jan Longone, Curator of American Culinary History at University of Michigan’s Clements Library.

“This was perhaps the largest culinary logistic enterprise to that point in history.” The Clements Library’s World’s Columbian Exposition holdings, built on the collecting energy and foresight of Moses Handy and his family, provide a rich harvest of information on the state of American and world culinary technology and practices as they were on the eve of the 20th century. The fair introduced the American public to new and exotic foods along with the most modern cooking equipment and techniques. “The greatest refrigerator on earth” was at the fair’s cold storage and ice-making pavilion. It was there that all the foodstuffs used at the fair, both those to be eaten and those to be exhibited, were stored.

“It was one of the first major displays in history to emphasize the importance and practicality of refrigeration,” Longone said. Commercial producers and manufacturers found a venue to exhibit their wares from stoves to fig syrup to beer. Accompanying these exhibits were clever and colorful promotional pieces.

“Some were merely catchy graphics,” said Longone, “but many companies and organizations handed out substantial pamphlets containing instructions on how to prepare the product being touted.” Cooking technology was also highlighted at the fair, demonstrating the relationship between the principles of chemistry and the science of cooking. The success of the World’s Columbian Exposition was problematic until the appointment of Moses P. Handy as chief of its Department of Publicity and Promotion. “Much of the success of the fair can be attributed to Handy’s hard work and public relations genius,” Longone said.

Related Links:

• Clements Library