1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in Historic 3D Stereophotographs

Presented by George L. Mutter, Professor of Pathology Emeritus, Harvard Medical School, co-founder, Photoarchive3D

The 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition was the first great international World's Fair held in the United States, celebrating 100 years of independence.

Held May through November 1876, it presented to the world a unified, post-Civil War, ascendant nation whose adaptive industrial and growing commercial base became the envy of others. A sprawling manicured campus made up of cavernous thematic international exhibition halls and quaint state buildings drew over 10 million visitors. There was a humming mechanical hall, a main pavilion with acres of domestic and international goods, separate agricultural and arts buildings, and even a specialized women’s pavilion. The first monorail, an arm of the Statue of Liberty, the first gasoline engine, and a massive Corliss steam engine were just a few of the innovations on view.

As it was extensively photographed in 3 dimensions by pioneering stereophotographers, it is possible today to relive this experience of the 100-year celebration of the United States.

Digitized original 19th-century stereophotographs selected from a pool of 40,000 in the Photoarchive3D collection are the core of this talk, projected in high-resolution 3D as originally intended.

No AI, just well-digitized vintage images. 3D glasses will be provided.