Friday, June 22, 2012

Sepia Saturday – The Ultimate Amusement Park, the 1939 - 40 Worlds’ Fair

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

The Trylon & the Perisphere were the symbols of the fair. 


The 1939 - 40 Worlds’ Fair was held in New York City. The theme was ‘Building the World of Tomorrow.’ My mother, Alberta Joy Gardner, went to the fair on more than one occasion. Her mother and her mother’s sisters took her to see the exhibits. She was amazed by everything she saw there. Twenty five years later she took my brothers and I to see the ‘Peace Through Understanding’ World’s Fair in her old home, New York City. We were just as enchanted by the exhibits and rides and the vision of the future as she had been.

Alberta Joy Gardner at the Worlds' Fair 1940





13 comments:

  1. My great-aunts Violetta and Velma went to the 1940 World's Fair. Your post reminds me that I have their travel brochure from Greyhound. Darn! I could have used that for my Sepia Saturday post. I love your mother's socks.

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    1. Yeah, those socks are great. We have a daughter who loves crazy socks & seldom wears socks that match. Maybe she takes after my mom.

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  2. I'm beginning to see that 'fair' can be interpreted in different ways. In the UK I would never have thought of a World Fair or considered a 'trade' fair even although many did start as trading events.

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  3. Great post. A slightly more upbeat view of the future from the 1940's than Orwell had :-)

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  4. I just wish I could have seen a few of those World fairs too! Mostly it's only been county fairs and our Minnesota State Fair. But, from great posts like this I'm getting to see so much more!

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  5. I like the idea of a fair having a vision of the future. Nice picture of your mother too.

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  6. Your mom looks like the plucky heroine of a children's book! The '39 fair was the one to go to, from what I've read. But we might have brushed shoulders in the throng attending the '64 fair. Reading the other comments reminds me of the Wisconsin State Fair that I attended with my husband about 1993. Best cream puffs I've ever had.

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  7. I wish I had gone to the 1960s New York World's Fair. They stopped having big World's Fairs here about the time I really started wanting to go to one.

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  8. World's Fairs must have been so fun. The picture of your mom is so cute too. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. My daughter has a coat very similar to your mum's. It's funny how fashion goes in cycles.

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  10. Such a cute photo of your mom. I wish I had Gone to a worlds fair, too. Now they're all gone. Sigh.
    Nancy

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