Photo-gravures of the World’s Columbian Exposition. by [COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION -- WORLD’S FAIR] - 1893.

Chicago: A. Wittemann, 67 & 69 Spring St., 211 & 213 Wabash Ave., The Albertype Co., 1893. Oblong 12mo. 7.25 x 4.25 in. [13 leaves (unnumbered).] With 12 sepia- and aqua-tinted photogravure plates. Embossed limp brown covers, raised lettering w/ gilt highlights on front cover, punch-sewn at gutter margin w/ blue silk ribbon, yapp edges (slight curving to cover, very minor shelfwear), still NF copy. First edition of these nicely executed photogravure images of the magnificent Columbian Exposition in 1893. The historic World’s Fair which ran almost six months, with grounds and gardens laid out by Fredrick Olmsted covering 630 acres, and a Midway skyline dominated by the 250-foot Ferris wheel designed by George Ferris. These photogravures depict the Machinery Hall, Admin Building and Court of Honor, the Lagoon, The Art Palace, Woman’s Building, the Japanese Hooden Palace on Wooded Island, The Krupp Gunworks building, and even the Monastery of “La Rabida.” Adolph Wittemann and his brother Herman began working as printers in New York in 1867, and first started printing books and postcards under the Albertype name in 1887. Adolph acted not only as agent finding customers for their services, but taking photographs across the country to be made into postcards. See: World’s Columbian Exposition Collection, Ryerson & Burnham Archives, Art Institute of Chicago (2002); Annie Schentag, Photography at the World’s Fair: Construction “Official” Images, Architourism, Cornell University (2011).