World's Fair Photographs Series
Ford Motor Company was a leading exhibitor in world fairs and other expositions held in America between 1934 and the early 1960s. This collection, consisting of 8x10 black and white photographic prints, documents various aspects of Ford's involvement including buildings, exhibits, displays, employees, celebrities and special events.
Biographical / Historical Note
Ford Motor Company began displaying its products at non-automotive exhibitions as early as 1904, becoming a leading exhibitor in world's fairs and other events by the mid 1930s and into the 1960s. In 1915, Ford Motor Company demonstrated the mass assembly...
MoreFord Motor Company began displaying its products at non-automotive exhibitions as early as 1904, becoming a leading exhibitor in world's fairs and other events by the mid 1930s and into the 1960s. In 1915, Ford Motor Company demonstrated the mass assembly of automobiles at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, California. In 1933, Henry Ford boycotted the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago and instead held his own exhibition in Detroit and New York called the Ford Exposition of Progress.
Due to the success of 1933 exhibits, Ford joined the Century of Progress International Exposition in 1934. Ford Motor Company hired Albert Kahn to design a building to house exhibits. The building, a circular pavilion which was later called the Ford Rotunda, resembled graduated internally meshed gears standing twelve stories high. Exhibits in that year included a soybean processing display, a collection of new and historic Ford vehicles, an exhibit on the conversion of raw materials into finished parts, an industrialized barn, replicas of nineteen famous highways, and exhibits from twenty-one Ford Motor Company suppliers. A similar large circular building erected in 1935 in San Diego for the California Pacific International Exposition was donated to the city of San Diego after the fair.
For the 1939 New York World's Fair of Tomorrow, designers anticipating elevated roads developed an exposition building that featured a "road of tomorrow." Visitors were driven down a spiral ramp in brightly painted Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln-Zephyr automobiles.
In 1964-1965, New York was again the site for a world's fair with the theme "Peace Through Understanding." Ford Motor Company hired Welton Becket and Associates to build the Ford Pavilion, a rotunda building reminiscent of the original 1933 Ford Rotunda. Walt Disney's design firm, WED Enterprises, was also hired to create a Magic Skyway where visitors boarded convertibles for a twelve minute ride through time featuring life sized audio-animatronic figures. Other exhibits highlighted the international scope of the company.
LessScope and Content Note
There are four subseries in the World's Fair photographs series. Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois subseries, 1933-1934 (1.2 cubic ft.) is comprised of images numbered from 1 to 310. There are also several folders...
MoreThere are four subseries in the World's Fair photographs series. Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois subseries, 1933-1934 (1.2 cubic ft.) is comprised of images numbered from 1 to 310. There are also several folders arranged alphabetically, primarily documenting exhibits. The California Pacific International Exposition subseries, 1935 (1.2 cubic ft.) is arranged numerically, 2 to 671. Dallas Centennial Central Exposition subseries, 1936-1937 (1.6 cubic ft.) is also arranged numerically, 1 to 816. The New York World Fairs subseries contains material for both the 1939-1940 fair in New York and the 1964-1965 fair. The 1939-1940 New York World's Fair subsubseries, 1939-1940 (10.4 cubic ft.) is the largest and includes images both topically and numerically arranged. A numerical run begins with 1 and ends at 3,463 (with a few gaps). Among the topics are typical American families, exhibit details, Ford Motor Company employees and dealers, Ford Day, good driver's awards, visiting celebrities, and special events. There is also an index to the images in this subseries. The final subsubseries, 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, 1960-1964 (0.8 cubic ft.) is comprised wholly of photographs gathered together to create a mural entitled "Decades of Progress" for the 1964-1965 New York fair. The mural depicted the evolution of the Ford Motor Company from its inception into the 1960s. All items are black and white photographic prints, 8 x 10 inches in size.
LessCollection Details
Object ID: 64.167.232.0
Creator: Ford Motor Company. Photographic Department
Inclusive Dates: 1933-1964
Bulk Dates: 1933-1940
Size: 15.2 cubic ft.
Language: English
Collection Access & Use
Item Location: Not Currently On Exhibit
Access Restrictions: The series is open for research.
Credit: From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Digitized Artifacts From This Collection
In many cases, not all artifacts have been digitized.
Contact us for more information about this collection.
Replica of U.S. Route No. 1, Roads of the World, Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1934
Details
Replica of U.S. Route No. 1, Roads of the World, Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1934
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
Ford Motor Company recreated 21 sections of different historic and modern roadways outside the Ford Exhibition Building at Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition in 1934. Fairgoers could tour these reproduction "Roads of the World" in courtesy vehicles.
Place of Creation
Keywords
United States, Illinois, Chicago, Burnham Park
Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.). Roads of the World Exhibit
Object ID
64.167.232.615
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Replica of U.S. Route No. 1, Roads of the World, Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1934
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Mary Pickford at the Ford Exposition Building, Opening Day of New York World's Fair, May 11, 1940
Details
Mary Pickford at the Ford Exposition Building, Opening Day of New York World's Fair, May 11, 1940
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
11 May 1940
Keywords
United States, New York, New York, Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Object ID
64.167.232.1779
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Mary Pickford at the Ford Exposition Building, Opening Day of New York World's Fair, May 11, 1940
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Walter Dorwin Teague and Celebrities at Opening Day of New York World's Fair, May 11, 1940
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
11 May 1940
Keywords
United States, New York, New York, Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Object ID
64.167.232.1778
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Walter Dorwin Teague and Celebrities at Opening Day of New York World's Fair, May 11, 1940
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
150-Ton Turntable at Ford Exposition, New York World's Fair, 1939
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
Ford Motor Company poured resources into the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, spending more than $5 million to construct and maintain its elaborate and well-attended exposition space. Ford's massive exhibition building attracted fairgoers with industrial demonstrations and informative displays. The huge, revolving "Ford Cycle of Production" - which explained how raw materials became Ford automobile parts - particularly impressed visitors.
Place of Creation
Object ID
P.O.19719
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
150-Ton Turntable at Ford Exposition, New York World's Fair, 1939
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
'More than 150,000 Parts in One Ford Car', Ford Exhibition Building, Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1934
Details
'More than 150,000 Parts in One Ford Car', Ford Exhibition Building, Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1934
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition used the theme of progress to encourage optimism during the depression. The Ford Exhibition Building, which sat on eleven acres at the fair and featured industrial demonstrations and informative displays like this, became the most talked-about exhibit of 1934.
Place of Creation
Keywords
United States, Illinois, Chicago, Burnham Park
Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.)
Object ID
64.167.232.509
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
'More than 150,000 Parts in One Ford Car', Ford Exhibition Building, Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1934
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Ford Model 157 Truck on Roads of the Pacific Exhibit, California Pacific International Exposition, San Diego, 1935
Details
Ford Model 157 Truck on Roads of the Pacific Exhibit, California Pacific International Exposition, San Diego, 1935
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
"Roads of the Pacific" was part of the Ford Exhibit - the most popular attraction at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition. Visitors rode in brand new Ford V-8s over 14 reproductions of famous roads. This photograph shows a Ford truck on a section of "Roads of the Pacific" representing Australia's stone and gravel Great Western Highway.
Place of Creation
Object ID
64.167.232.296
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Ford Model 157 Truck on Roads of the Pacific Exhibit, California Pacific International Exposition, San Diego, 1935
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Henry Ford and Edsel Ford at Rouge Plant Tool & Die Building Construction Site, June 16, 1938
Details
Henry Ford and Edsel Ford at Rouge Plant Tool & Die Building Construction Site, June 16, 1938
Artifact
Photographic print
Place of Creation
Keywords
Object ID
64.167.232.1698
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Henry Ford and Edsel Ford at Rouge Plant Tool & Die Building Construction Site, June 16, 1938
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Notarized 1902 Automobile Speed Records, on Display at Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1934
Details
Notarized 1902 Automobile Speed Records, on Display at Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1934
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
In December 1902, Barney Oldfield tried to crack the mile-a-minute barrier on a circular track in the Henry Ford-designed race car "999." This photograph of the notarized document chronicles that attempt -- he didn't make it, though he did set a new speed record. And it wasn't his first time behind the wheel -- he had raced the "999" in October.
Place of Creation
Keywords
United States, Illinois, Chicago, Burnham Park
Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.)
Object ID
64.167.232.568
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Notarized 1902 Automobile Speed Records, on Display at Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, Illinois, 1934
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Frank Guy Armitage with First Ford Model A (1903), Ford Exposition, New York World's Fair, 1939
Details
Frank Guy Armitage with First Ford Model A (1903), Ford Exposition, New York World's Fair, 1939
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
Ford Motor Company poured resources into the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, spending more than $5 million to construct and maintain its elaborate and well-attended exhibition space. Numerous celebrities joined Ford's 15 million reported exposition guests. This photograph shows Frank Guy Armitage, a well-known ventriloquist and impersonator of Charles Dickens characters, at a display featuring Ford's first automobile.
Place of Creation
Object ID
64.167.232.1169
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Frank Guy Armitage with First Ford Model A (1903), Ford Exposition, New York World's Fair, 1939
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
