City Archives & Special Collections: Explore New Orleans' 1884 and 1984 World's Fairs

Amy D.

Amy is a librarian in the City Archives & Special Collections department of the New Orleans Public Library.

In 1984 New Orleans played host to the Louisiana World Exposition, better known as the World’s Fair. However, this was not the first time that New Orleans hosted an international event highlighting the city and its accomplishments. A hundred years earlier, in 1884, New Orleans hosted the World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exhibition. The 1984 fair ran from May 12, 1984 through November 11, 1984. The 1985 fair ran for about half a year, from December 16, 1884 through June 2, 1885.

Although the fairs were held a century apart, their histories involve similar challenges and outcomes, including site difficulties, delays, financial shortages, and low attendance numbers.

Learn more about what the two different fairs looked like, where they were located, how they were organized, and more by exploring this interactive StoryMap, built by City Archives & Special Collections library associate Cosette Zacarias. The project revisits the 1984 World’s Fair and the 1884-1885 World’s Exposition and Cotton Centennial by exploring related materials found within the collections of the New Orleans City Archives & Special Collections.

Additional resources at City Archives & Special Collections for learning more about the 1984 World’s Fair can be found in the following Special Collections:

SC-248-MS World’s Fair Ephemera – Includes various brochures from pavilions and companies involved in displays at the fair. Also included is a promotional sticker and a pair of promotional 3D glasses.
SC-263-MS Robin Riley Papers relating to the World’s Fair in New Orleans – Correspondence, memorandums, minutes, reports, sketches, notes, and related material dealing with the early planning of what became the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. The handwritten notes and sketches appear to be Riley’s own work. Some of the letters, memos, and other documents are addressed from or to him. Other materials are photocopies apparently forwarded to or otherwise collected by Riley. Generally, these papers document the early, preliminary planning stages of the Exposition’s theme and artistic/architectural appearance.
SC-362 Martin Katz Papers – The papers cover the years 1982-1984. They consist largely of memos sent from Mr. Katz to Petr Spurney, the Fair President, and other officials of the Fair. The memos are arranged by month, and there are several financial tables showing the Fair’s expenditures and revenues.

Additional resources at City Archives & Special Collections for learning more about the 1884 Cotton Centennial Exhibition can be found in the titles:

Materials in City Archives & Special Collections may be viewed by appointment Monday-Friday. Please call 504-596-2610 or email archivist@nolalibrary.org to schedule an appointment.