Looking South to Festival Hall
This scene was painted by John Ross Key, an accomplished post–Civil War landscape painter and the grandson of composer Francis Scott Key. It typifies his light-filled and airy depictions of America’s world’s fairs in 1893, 1898, 1901, and 1904. A bird’s-eye view made from the top of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition grounds’ main gate at Lindell Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue, the wide perspective captured the scene that greeted every visitor to the Fair—what was known as the “main picture.”
Object Title and Accession Number
Looking South to Festival Hall. Oil on canvas by John Ross Key, 1904. 1926-053-0001.
A vibrant, expansive view of a grand architectural exposition with large domed buildings, a reflecting pool, fountains, and bustling crowds. Flags adorn the structures, and boats navigate the water under a partly cloudy sky.