ORIGINAL LARGE CLOTH PICTORIAL HANDKERCHIEF SOUVENIR FROM THE 1876 CENTENNIAL INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION IN PHILADELPHIA
(CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION). Souvenir handkerchief ["Centennial International Exhibition"]. [Dusseldorf: A. & C. Cramer, 1876]. Roller-printed red, white, and black cloth handkerchief, measuring approximately 26 by 26 inches. Floated and framed, entire piece measures 31 by 32 inches. $4200.
Original 1876 souvenir from the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 held in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, beautifully roller-printed to feature the major exhibition halls and the grounds at Fairmount Park.
The Centennial Exposition, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, occurred in Philadelphia from May to November 1876 in Fairmount Park, attracting over 10 million visitors. Roller-printed after an engraving, the highly detailed image on the handkerchief features the Main Exhibition Building, the Machinery Hall, the Agricultural Hall, the Horticultural Hall, and the Memorial Hall Art Gallery bordered with stars and stripes embellishments, and also with a bald eagle holding a shield and with a banner reading "E Pluribus Unum" in its beak. "Many souvenirs were produced for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. According to the Library Company's excellent summary, 'the Centennial Exhibition [sometimes called "Exposition"] took place on more than 285 acres of land in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park May 10-November 10, 1876. Close to ten million visitors (9,910,966) went to the fair via railroad, steamboat, carriage, and on foot. Thirty-seven nations participated in the event, officially named the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine'" (Princeton University Library, quoting the Library Company of Philadelphia).
Fine condition.