Alan Calavano collection of World's Fair postcards and ephemera
Scope and Content of the Collection
Collection of twenty-eight postcard albums with additional twelve boxes of loose postcards, trade cards, and other World's Fair related ephemera.
The bulk of the collection consists of postcards and other ephemera from World's Fairs beginning with the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris, continuing until the Louisiana World Exposition held in 1984. Postcards and trade cards from the 1900 Exposition Universelle Paris make up a significant part of the collection. Many of the trade cards are from chocolate vendors and other confectioners. Also well represented are the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the 1910 Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles, the 1933 Century of Progress International Exposition, and the 1939 New York World's Fair.
The collection also includes an assortment of postcards from locations visited throughout the United States and Europe.
Dates
- Creation: 1876-1990s
Creator
- Calavano, Alan (Person)
Language
Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The Alan Calavano collection of World's Fair postcards and ephemera are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Ownership and Literary Rights
The Alan Calavano collection of World's Fair postcards and ephemera are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections at reference@newberry.org.
Biography of Alan Calavano
Alan Calavano (d. 2016) was a local historian and postcard collector based in Rochester, MN. His book, "Rochester", was published in 2008 as part of the "Postcard History Series".
Extent
14.6 Linear Feet (28 volumes, 11 boxes, and 1 oversize box)
Abstract
Includes postcards, postcard albums, and other ephemera relating to World's Fairs and Expositions beginning with the 1878 Exposition Universelle Paris and continuing to 1984 Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans. There are significant collections of postcards from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the 1910 Exposition de Bruxelles, the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition, and the 1939 New York World's Fair. Also included are trade cards from Parisian Expositions (1878, 1889, 1900) and miscellaneous postcards from the United States and Europe.
Arrangement
Postcards and trade cards are arranged by topic with miscellaneous materials filed at the end.
Collection Stack Location
2 33 above cabinets
Provenance
Gift, Alan Calavano, 2017.
Processed by
Katy Darr, 2018.
Subject
- Exposition universelle (1900 : Paris, France) (Organization)
- New York World’s Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.) (Organization)
- Calavano, Alan (Person)
- Century of Progress International Exposition (1933-1934 : Chicago, Ill.) (Organization)
- Exposition universelle et internationale (1910 : Brussels, Belgium) (Organization)
- Title
- Inventory of the Alan Calavano collection of World's Fair postcards and ephemera, 1876-1990s
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Katy Darr
- Date
- ©2018.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512
reference@newberry.org