Context

Unlike many world’s fair celebrations that end in deficit, Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition had funds left in its accounts after the fair’s closing. It was decided to create a new version of the fair’s signature “Statue of the Republic” as a permanent memorial to the fair, located on the site of the original fairgrounds. It was dedicated in 1918 to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fair. The B.F. Ferguson Monument Fund also contributed to the project. Many people mistakenly believe that the gold-leafed sculpture centered on Hayes Drive in Jackson Park is the original that focused the east end of the Court of Honor at the 1893 Chicago world’s fair. The original at the fair was made of plaster, and was approximately three times the height of the version seen in Jackson Park.