1904 St Louis World's Fair  Stereo Cards--Seven Views

Description

In 1904, St. Louis was the site of a World's Fair commemorating the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. The largest such fair in area up to that time, it draw exhibitions from 43 or the then 45 states and several foreign countries. There were more than 1,500 buildings on the 1,200 acre fairgrounds exhibiting arts, crafts, and scientific achievements among others. This set of  stereoscope cards show seven of the more renowned exhibit buildings, all of which were temporary structures that were demolished or relocated after the fair closed. These cards are as interesting for the descriptions on the reverse as for the pictures themselves. The language and content of the descriptions reflect the times, revealing such gems as the fact that "eighty-one percent of all the farms (in Texas ed.) are operated by white farmers" or that "every red man in America has tattooed on his body a symbol" a custom attributed to "all the savage tribes on the earth" in the Alaska description. These cards are in very good condition for their age and provide a window to a very different time in America.