Rare, Original Paintings Found from 1893 Columbian Exposition
August 27, 2015 | In the PressFrom Evergreen Park Patch (http://patch.com/illinois/evergreenpark/rare-original-paintings-found-1893-columbian-exposition?)
Three original Japanese sliding door paintings from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition originally thought to be missing or destroyed were discovered in a Chicago Park District storage facility.
The artworks are two-sided panels, painted sliding doors (fusuma) attributed to Japanese artist Hashimoto Gaho (1835-1908). Originally it was thought that the panels were displayed during 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, but park district historian Julia Bachrach uncovered documentation indicating that the paintings date back to the 1893 World’s Fair. Historic photos of the fusuma from 1893 also closely match the paintings.
The three panels were displayed in the Phoenix Pavilion (Ho-o-den) on the Wooded Isle at the center of the 1893 Exposition, the park district and mayor’s office said in a news release.
“The rediscovered paintings remind us of the lush history that lives in Chicago’s parks,” said Park District General Superintendent and CEO Michael Kelly.
Since the find, Janice Katz, associate curator of Japanese art at the Art Institute of Chicago, and Rachel Freeman, Asian art conservator at the Art Institute, evaluated the works and concurred that these relics are in fact the original Japanese sliding door paintings from the World’s Fair of 1893. Historic photos of the fusuma also closely match the paintings. The pieces are in moderately stable condition, but will require conservation treatment.
“These paintings bring to life, in vivid color, a moment of history that had previously been lost forever,” said Katz.
According to the curators, the fusuma are representative of traditional Japanese construction techniques. The inner wooden fretwork was covered with a layer of paper before the painted surfaces were attached. Before installation, the black lacquer frames were fitted over the edges of the fretwork cores. The frames were then eased into waxed grooves in building’s floor, where the paintings functioned as sliding doors.
The park district will work in partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago to conserve the paintings, though it has yet to be determined how they will be displayed once conservation efforts are complete.
This isn’t the first time historic artifacts from the White City were discovered in a storage facility. In the 1970s, the park district discovered carved transom panels (ranma) from the Phoenix Pavilion. These ranma panels were conserved and put on display at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011.
The find coincides with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s efforts to revitalize Jackson Park, the setting for the 1893 Columbian Exposition. An estimated $29 million in investments is planned to return the park to the original vision byFrederick Law Olmsted, restoring its landscape and character back to the late 19th century. These investments will include habitat restoration, landscape improvements, and tree plantings.
Earlier this summer, the mayor joined Yoko Ono, representatives of Project 120, the Consul General of Japan at Chicago and others to announce the installation of a permanent piece of public art by Ono, which will be installed in the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park.
The discovery of the fusuma panels spark a renewed public interest in the Columbian Exposition as production begins on a film based on the Erik Larson novel The Devil in the White City, which takes place at the time of the 1893 World’s Fair.
