The Museum of History and Industry in Seattle is featuring exhibits of the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific-Exposition to celebrate the centennial of the event.
One of the exhibits is a remarkable collection of photographs of the exposition.
Called “Photographing the Fair: The A-Y-P Photos of Frank H. Nowell and Others,” the exhibit is a display of photographs taken on 8 x 10 glass plates. The clarity of the photos is outstanding. The people and buildings look so real it’s as if they were recreated today for a movie set.
The photos will be on display until December 2009.
The exposition was Seattle’s first World’s Fair. Its purpose was to let the world know about Seattle.
The Klondike Gold Rush had made Seattle the leading city in the Pacific Northwest, due to its shipments of supplies to Alaska. The goal of the exposition was to show off the growth and development of the Pacific Northwest and Seattle and to call attention to the value of trade with the Pacific Rim.
When Japan agreed to participate, the exposition became an international, multi-cultural event.
Seattle officials also hoped that the exposition would encourage people to move to the city.
The University of Washington, on Lake Washington, with a view of Mount Rainier, was the location selected for the exposition.
The Igorot, native people of the Philippines, were displayed in their loincloths in a village setting, as they were at other world’s fairs of the era. Indians and Eskimos also were also displayed in exhibits.
The exposition cost $10 million, and 3.7 million people attended.
Although the exposition brought enormous tourist dollars to Seattle, few long-term benefits occurred, according to the essay “The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.” There was no increase in population and trade. However, Alaska's tourism did increase.
The exposition’s buildings were built quickly and cheaply and didn’t serve the University of Washington well for the long term. Few were usable as classrooms.
The University of Washington Libraries offers photos of the exposition with corresponding photos of how the area looks today.
Hi there,
I just discovered your blog and I am going through your posts. I must be your long lost cousin, or something.
I’m borrowing your photo of MOHAI for my blog. Let me know if you want me to take it off, but I live almost in Duvall, so I’m not in Montlake everyday. If you want to reach me, I’m at http://sweetspothowtobumpelbowswiththeelite.wordpress.com/ . Well, the actual title of my blog is Cheap & Free, Fun Things to do in Seattle. I love your blog.
Hi Tina,
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you liked my photo. I have some photos I took at the A-Y-P exhibit — some of the photos and of a style show. I have permission to post them, but I haven’t had the time yet.
Rita