Santa Claus Seated on White Ford Tractor, Inside the Ford Rotunda Building, Dearborn, Michigan, 1961

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Artifact Overview

After the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition ended in 1934, Ford Motor Company brought back its central Rotunda building from that fair to Dearborn, to serve as a visitor center and starting point for Rouge Plant tours. However, its biggest draw between 1953 and 1961 was the annual "Christmas Fantasy," shown here. Unfortunately, the Rotunda burned down in November 1962.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Lantern slide

Subject Date

1961

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

74.300.1182.3A.12

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Glass (Material)
Paper tape

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 3.25 in
Width: 4 in

Inscriptions

Handwritten in ink on small oval paper sticker: 3A-12
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    Ford at the Fair Exhibition

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    Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition used the theme of progress to encourage optimism during the Depression. The 11-acre Ford Motor Company exhibit became the most talked-about exhibit of 1934, featuring a central Rotunda designed to simulate graduated clusters of gears. After the fair, this building became an attraction at Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, until it burned down in 1962.