The Centennial - Balloon View of the Grounds

Publisher Harper's Weekly (American, 1857 - 1916)

Datec 1876

Object number00019629

NameEngraving

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall: 600 x 810 mm, 500 g

ClassificationsArt

Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Terms

United States

DescriptionPublished by Harper's Weekly, this coloured engraving depicts a 'ballon view' of the grounds of The Centennial at Fairmount Park - the site of the Philadelphia Exhibition of 1876. The buildings, roads, parks, monuments and lakes are all shown, as well as major highways, railways and bridges which are labelled. The image was taken from photographs by R Newell & Sons, and sketches by Theo R Davis.SignificanceThe exposure of Australia at the Centenary Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 - combined with a newspaper advertising campaign - enticed a wave of American migrants to Australia in the late 1870s.