Ford at the Fair Exhibition

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.

Henry Ford moved the William Ford barn from Dearborn to the 1934 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago to demonstrate how soybeans could be processed for industrial uses in an ordinary American barn. Ford published this booklet to explain the process, and how it could create a better future for the American farmer.

Henry Ford firmly believed in the "practical educational value" of World's Fair exhibits. During the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, he highlighted the work of students attending his experimental schools. In a miniature machine shop in the Ford building, boys from Ford's Edison Institute Schools operated quarter-size replicas, including this dynamo, based on machines from Thomas Edison's Menlo Park.

Henry Ford firmly believed in the "practical educational value" of World's Fair exhibits. During the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, he highlighted the work of students attending his experimental schools. In a miniature machine shop in the Ford building, boys from Ford's Edison Institute Schools operated quarter-size replicas, including this lathe, based on machines from Thomas Edison's Menlo Park.

Henry Ford firmly believed in the "practical educational value" of World's Fair exhibits. During the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, he highlighted the work of students attending his experimental schools. In a miniature machine shop in the Ford building, boys from Ford's Edison Institute Schools operated quarter-size replicas, including this milling machine, based on machines from Thomas Edison's Menlo Park.

Ford Motor Company featured its exposition at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair in national advertisements. This print ad depicts the Ford exposition's Road of Tomorrow experience, which suggested forward-looking techniques for safer, quieter, more efficient roadways. Even if they could not attend the fair, readers across the country could imagine themselves in "modern cars" - Fords - "for modern highways."

Ford Motor Company's 1934 models featured only minor changes from the previous year. The grille had fewer vertical bars, side hood louvers went from curved to straight, and new painted hubcaps were seen on V-8 cars. Prices started at $585 for a Fordor sedan with the V-8. The four-cylinder Fordor was priced $50 lower. Calendar year production was 563,921 units.

The Ford Exhibit--the most popular attraction at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition--featured "Roads of the Pacific." Visitors rode in brand new Ford V-8s through realistic reproductions of historic and modern routes. In this photograph, two groups of riders round a bend on one of the 14 sections comprising the immersive experience.

Ford Motor Company mounted the most talked-about exhibition in Chicago during the World's Fair in 1934. One attraction, a revolving globe in the Ford rotunda building's central Court of the World, illustrated Ford's growing industrial presence in mining, logging, and manufacturing operations around the world. This large three-dimensional map exemplified the fair's Century of Progress theme.

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.

Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition used the theme of progress to encourage optimism during the Depression. Ford Motor Company's popular exhibition at the fair included the century room, where fairgoers found a nineteenth-century machine shop, a replica of Henry Ford's first workshop, and the Quadricyle -- the original Ford automobile.

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.

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.

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.

"Roads of the World" was part of the Ford Motor Company's exhibition at Chicago's Century of Progress Exposition in 1934. Fairgoers rode in brand new Ford V-8s over 21 reproductions of famous roadways. This section representing an historic Canadian plank road contributed to the immersive "Roads of the World" experience.

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.

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.

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.

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 in two main halls. At the "industrialized farm," visitors could learn about soybeans and watch presenters process them into plastics and fibers.

Henry Ford viewed national expositions as business opportunities and platforms for public education. During the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, Ford Motor Company spent more than $5 million to build and maintain an elaborate exposition space. Informative displays and manufacturing demonstrations inside Ford's massive fair building offered visitors an in-depth, entertaining, and educational look at industrial processes.

On February 15, 1939, the twenty-seven millionth Ford automobile rolled off a Richmond, California, assembly line. The green DeLuxe Tudor embarked on a promotional tour from San Francisco to New York City and back -- an 8,854-mile circuit. During this transcontinental journey, the famous sedan -- and a visit from Henry and Edsel Ford -- drew crowds at the New York World's Fair.

Henry Ford firmly believed in the "practical educational value" of World's Fair exhibits. To help accomplish his education mission during the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, he highlighted the work of students attending his experimental schools. Here, boys from Henry Ford's Edison Institute Schools demonstrate miniature machine replicas based on Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Machine Shop.

Ford Motor Company's 1934 models featured only minor changes from the previous year. The grille had fewer vertical bars, side hood louvers went from curved to straight, and new painted hubcaps were seen on V-8 cars. Prices started at $585 for a Fordor sedan with the V-8. The four-cylinder Fordor was priced $50 lower. Calendar year production was 563,921 units.

Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition highlighted progress to encourage optimism during the Great Depression. The Ford Motor Company exhibit became the most talked-about exhibit of 1934, featuring a central Rotunda building designed to simulate graduated clusters of gears. The phrase "ONE-THIRD OF A CENTURY OF PROGRESS PRODUCED THE FORD V-EIGHT" refers to the 30-year history of Ford Motor Company.

Ford Motor Company's 1934 trucks were only slightly changed in appearance from the previous model year, though the blue oval logo was added to the side of the hood. The stake body version was particularly versatile. The racks were removable to ease loading or accommodate oversized cargo. Ford's trucks were powered by the company's flathead V-8 engine.

Ford Motor Company brought its central Rotunda building from the 1934 Century of Progress Exposition back to Dearborn and, from 1936 to 1962, recreated the excitement of a World's Fair exposition on its home turf. This souvenir book commemorated Ford's 50th Anniversary in 1953. The Ford Rotunda reopened then, with renovations that included a geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller.

Boys who attended the Henry Ford Trade School learned by doing. The school, the brainchild of Henry Ford, trained teenage boys in a variety of skilled industrial trade work -- machining, metallurgy, drafting, and engine design, among others. Students created useful components for local factories in hands-on lab and shop classes. In addition to the manual training received, academic classes were required.

Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition used the theme of progress to encourage optimism during the Great Depression. The Ford Motor Company exhibit became the most talked-about exhibit of 1934, featuring a central Rotunda building designed to simulate graduated clusters of gears. This sketch was created by Albert Kahn Inc., the architects of the building.

Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition highlighted progress to encourage optimism during the Great Depression. The Ford Motor Company exhibit became the most talked-about exhibit of 1934. In its "Roads of the World" feature, guests could walk over, or ride in cars alongside, replicas of 21 world-famous thoroughfares ranging from the earliest Roman types to the most modern highway construction.

Ford's steel, concrete, and glass exhibition building towered above more traditional structures at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition in San Diego. The Ford Building -- created in the "Streamline Moderne" architectural style by industrial design pioneer Walter Dorwin Teague -- combined clean curves and sharp lines with modern materials, reflecting technological progress in the new machine age.

Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition used the theme of progress to encourage optimism during the Depression. This postcard depicts Ford Motor Company's 1934 exhibition building, which featured 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.

The 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition reflected American aspirations at the end of the Great Depression. Held on Treasure Island -- a manmade island in San Francisco Bay -- the fair celebrated the completion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay and Golden Gate bridges. This program contains the menu for a Ford dealers' meeting at the "beautiful Ford exhibit" on Treasure Island.

Ford Motor Company sawmills created heaps of wood wastes. Some was used to produce steam for factory operations. The rest was carbonized and compressed into charcoal. Workers mixed charred hardwood chips with starch, forming nearly 100 tons of charcoal briquettes each day. This 1930s brochure suggests the many uses for this Ford byproduct.

Ford offered models in Standard and DeLuxe series for 1939. The fancier DeLuxe models featured a refreshed, modern appearance with teardrop headlights and a low-set grille. The big news for 1939 was that, for the first time, all Ford cars came equipped with hydraulic brakes.

Ford Motor Company's truck lineup for 1939 included pickups, panel trucks, stake body and platform models, and sedan delivery vehicles. Larger commercial models were available in dump truck and cab-over-engine configurations. Power came from V-8 engines available with displacements of 136 or 221 cubic inches.

Ford Motor Company's truck lineup for 1939 included pickups, panel trucks, stake body and platform models, and sedan delivery vehicles. Larger commercial models were available in dump truck and cab-over-engine configurations. Power came from V-8 engines available with displacements of 136 or 221 cubic inches.

The Lincoln Zephyr's V-12 engine was adapted from Ford's successful flathead V-8. Engineers added four cylinders, narrowed the angle of the V, and made other modifications. Unfortunately, the engine suffered from inadequate ventilation and poor oil flow, which led to overheating and excessive wear. Nevertheless, with 200,000 units sold, the Zephyr engine was the most successful American-built V-12.

The 1939-40 New York World's Fair encouraged a depression-weary public that the future would be rosy. Ford Motor Company was a major participant in this fair. This brochure highlights the Ford Exposition building's many features, including its stunning architectural design by industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague, its interior exhibits, new car models, and its outdoor, drivable "Road of Tomorrow."

Ford Motor Company poured resources into the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition in San Diego, constructing the fair's largest and most popular exhibition. This souvenir publication highlights Ford's exhibits there, including its unique car manufacturing methods and materials, displays of new car models, and the outdoor, drivable "Roads of the Pacific."

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.

Ford Motor Company brought its central Rotunda building from the 1934 Century of Progress Exposition back to Dearborn and, from 1936 to 1962, recreated the excitement of a World's Fair exposition on its home turf. People flocked to the Dearborn Rotunda when new car models were displayed, like the Ford Gyron, a futuristic two-wheeled gyrocar introduced in 1961.

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.

Ford Motor Company, a major participant in the 1939-40 New York World's Fair, hired industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague to create its exhibition building in New York City's Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. This conceptual rendering shows the entrance to Teague's Ford Building. It features a stainless steel sculpture depicting Mercury, whose mythological speed symbolized the swift progress of modern transportation.

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.

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.

Hungarian-born artist A. Raymond Katz, or Sandor as he often signed his work, captures the liveliness of the 1934 World's Fair in this streamlined poster. A portrait of iconic burlesque "fan dancer" Sally Rand points the viewer towards another highlight -- the architectural showpiece Sky Ride, which shuttled fair goers in rocket-shaped cars more than 200 feet above the ground.

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 exposition became the most talked-about exhibit of 1934, featuring a variety of industrial demonstrations and informative displays. Ford produced this booklet as a souvenir for fairgoers who visited the Ford Building.

Coming at the end of a decade of worldwide economic depression, the 1939-40 New York World's Fair placed a distinct emphasis on consumerism as the means to prosperity and social unity. This souvenir ashtray from the Ford Motor Company exhibit advertised a Ford four-door sedan from the company's latest product line.

Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition used the theme of progress to encourage optimism during the Depression. The 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.

Ford Motor Company produced this commemorative coin for the Ford Exposition at the Century of Progress 1934 Chicago World's Fair. This souvenir reminded visitors of their time at the fair. It also advertised Ford's newest innovation, the V-8 engine. Ford introduced the V-8, the first compact and powerful engine affordable to the general auto-buying public, in 1932.