Souvenir Snow Globes

Singular destinations like Graceland -- the Memphis, Tennessee, mansion owned by singer Elvis Presley -- often stood on their own as the subjects of souvenir snow globes.

This souvenir from Philadelphia's Independence Hall prominently features the site's iconic Liberty Bell--before its move to a nearby glass pavilion as part of the United States Bicentennial in 1976.

Some souvenir snow globes incorporated multiple elements. Here, highlights from Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, appear behind some of founder Henry Ford's best-known automobiles. The buildings include a replica of Ford Motor Company's first factory, a general store, a millinery, the boarding house where many of Thomas Edison's Menlo Park, New Jersey, laboratory employees lived, and the Wright brothers' Dayton, Ohio, home.

The Statue of Liberty features prominently in this Liberty Island scene, which also includes a composite view of the Manhattan skyline.

Produced to promote the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, this snow globe depicts a space-age structure designed by civil engineer and landscape architect Gilmore David Clarke. The Unisphere, rendered in stainless steel and standing 140 feet tall when completed in 1963, would become the symbol of the fair.

The 1968 World's Fair (HemisFair '68), held in San Antonio, Texas, coincided with the 250th anniversary of the city's founding and aimed to celebrate "The Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas." This snow globe depicts the fair's theme structure, a 750-foot observation tower named Tower of the Americas.

The 1974 world’s fair (Expo '74) was held on reclaimed commercial and industrial land along the riverfront in Spokane, Washington. This snow globe celebrates some of the fair's most memorable structures--the United States and Washington State Pavilions.

A take on the "impossible bottle" concept, this snow globe depicts Seattle landmarks: the Space Needle (an observation tower built for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (complete with an example of the first "Jumbo Jet," Boeing's 747, introduced in 1969), and a now-controversial Tlingit memorial pole located in the city's Pioneer Square.

This rectangular snow globe features San Francisco icons -- a cable car and the Golden Gate Bridge -- in front of the city's skyline. The overarching rainbow symbolizes San Francisco's rich LGBTQ culture.

St. Louis' iconic Gateway Arch frames this scene, which also includes the Basilica of Saint Louis (known as the Old Cathedral), Busch Memorial Stadium (opened in 1966 as the home of the St. Louis Cardinals National League baseball team), and the Old St. Louis County Courthouse.

Some snow globes represented natural areas. This example from north-central Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park unsurprisingly incorporates a Rocky Mountain landscape. It also depicts bighorn sheep, symbol of the park and one of its most popular wildlife attractions.

This souvenir from the Ozarks -- a highland region spanning southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, and portions of Oklahoma and Kansas -- is multifaceted. A set of salt and pepper shakers is hidden within the television-shaped snow globe, which features two deer that move up and down in a seesaw motion.

Rather than a singular attraction, the contents of some snow globes represented an entire state. Here, a covered bridge and horse-drawn wagon represent the idyllic (if imagined) Vermont countryside.

In this example, the wonders of Wyoming are exemplified by a scenic mountain range and bucking horse and rider.

Along with natural and architectural landmarks, some souvenir snow globes depicted engineering marvels. This example rendered the massive Hoover Dam in a miniature version that visitors could take home.