Rare Libbey Glass Advertising Poster made for The World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago, Illinois) – Circa 1893

This fabulous advertising poster is encased in a protective plastic sleeve backed by sturdy poster board that we have not tampered with. We did open the top of the sleeve to hazard a peek at the back of the poster and found it to be unmarked. This is one of three such posters that were discovered in 2003 among the contents of a long ago closed store.

This rare advertising poster measures 26 ½ inches by 20 inches and is in generally good condition with bold coloration, some paper loss at a few edges, a band around the edge with what looks to be paste indicating the poster may have been framed once and a fold crease along the bottom quarter of the paper. This wonderful bit of advertising could be the centerpiece of any eclectic collection. It has truly stood the test of time.

Thank you for your interest in this scarce Libbey Glass advertising poster and please feel free to browse our Ruby Lane exclusive shop, Little River Antiques & Collectibles, for other unique and interesting treasures.

Some additional notes:

The World's Columbian Exposition was the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and so named to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World. The fair ran from May to October of 1893 and featured an array of attractions, art exhibits and industrial displays; the Libbey Glass Company was found among the latter.

The Libbey Glass Company was being run by the son of the founder and had relocated the company from Massachusetts to Toledo, Ohio in 1888. The company was struggling financially and the younger Libbey saw an opportunity to increase the company's visibility and profitability by participating in the Columbian Exposition. He arranged to have a glass furnace installed in the exhibit for demonstrations of glass making and when this failed to increase the number of attendees, he cleverly proclaimed that the admission fee could be applied to the purchase of glass items signed by the company at the exhibit. The display became an outstanding success spreading the name Libbey Glass across the country and leading the way for the company to become the foremost producer of cut glass during the Brilliant Period (1873 – 1915) at great profitability.

Item ID: S846