Mary Douglas Martin’s Trip to the 1893 Columbian Exposition

Mary Douglas Martin, a resident of Little Rock, journeyed to Chicago in 1893 with part of her family to experience the World’s Fair: Columbian Exposition. The fair was a significant social and cultural phenomenon that emphasized the idea of American exceptionalism. Covering 690 acres, it showcased nearly 200 buildings and featured peoples and cultures from forty-six nations.

Martin recorded many of her experiences in a diary that she took along during that trip. Her diary is preserved in the Jared C. Martin family papers. View digitized materials from the collection in our catalog.