ASL Tour: The 1904 World’s Fair

Join our Deaf docent, Tim Smith, as he leads you through a fascinating exhibition – The 1904 World’s Fair – entirely in sign language.

The 1904 World’s Fair was a complex, fascinating event that continues to evoke a range of emotions. It was grand and shameful. It was full of fun and full of indignity. Now, 120 years after it opened in St. Louis, the 1904 World’s Fair exhibit at the Missouri History Museum will reintroduce you to the Fair and its legacy in a way you’ve never experienced before.

St. Louis was the center of the world in 1904. With multicultural exhibitions and architectural marvels that swept across nearly 1,200 acres of Forest Park, the 1904 World’s Fair (also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition) was truly larger than life. Twenty million visitors attended this pivotal event in St. Louis history—one that continues to attract both awe and criticism over a century later.

The back gallery of The 1904 World’s Fair includes a rotating exhibit that will change every two years. The current rotating gallery is The World in St. Louis.