The collection primarily documents through press releases, news bulletins, guidebooks, souvenirs, maps, ephemera and related publications world's fairs occurring after 1960.
Scope and Contents:
The strength of this collection lies in the documentation of world's fairs occurring after 1960. There is a substantial amount of material for the 1964/1965 New York World's Fair, International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67 (Montreal, Canada), HemisFair '68 (San Antonio, Texas), Japan World Exposition or Expo '70 (Osaka, Japan), International Exposition on the Environment or Expo '74 (Spokane, Washington), International Ocean Exposition or Expo '75 (Okinawa, Japan), International Energy Exposition or 1982 World's Fair (Knoxville, Tennessee), Expo '86 (Vancouver, Canada), and Expo '88 (Brisbane, Australia). These materials were originally assembled by Eugene Kaeck, who created and managed the non-profit organization San Francisco Archive and Research Center for World's Fairs and Expositions, Incorporated. After Kaeck's death his home and its contents were purchased by Daniel Meyerson.
The collection contains some of the correspondence from the San Francisco Archive and Research Center for World's Fairs and Expositions, Incorporated but primarily consists of material that was created for fair goers. These materials inform the consumer about activities, amusements, pavilions, eating establishments and offer tips about getting around the grounds. Included among these materials are guidebooks, press releases, news bulletins, brochures, schedules, postcards, souvenirs, maps, fact sheets and ephemera. There is also a substantial amount of material created by the hospitality industry that relates to tourism including lodging accommodations, transportation and sightseeing opportunities. Mostly created by transportation and lodging companies, the materials include maps, guides, tickets, brochures and tour books. In addition publications including magazines, newspapers and books discuss the history of world's fairs as well as the theme, significance, corporate participants and achievements of individual expos dating before, during and after the fair.
The collection is arranged into two series. Series one includes fairs sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). The materials are arranged in chronological order. Series two consists of other celebrations around the world including the Prague International Fair, Festival of Britain, Soviet Exhibition of Science, Technology, and Cuture, Mexican National Fair, Alaska Centennial, First World Exhibition of Transport and Communications and the International Garden Show in Amsterdam. There is a substantial amount of material from the Canadian National Exhibition, 1977-1981. These materials are arranged in chronological order.
Arrangement:
Series 1, World Expositions, 1915-2000, undated
Series 2, Other Celebrations, 1949-1994, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Daniel H. Meyerson was San Francisco antiques dealer.
Provenance:
Collection was donated by Daniel H. Meyerson in 2000 in honor of Mel Seiden.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
