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Excerpt from The National Celebration: Of the Centennial Anniversary of the Independence of the United States by an International Universal Exhibition, to Be Held in Philadelphia in the Year 1876; Report to Congress by the United States Centennial Commission, February, 1873; Accompanied by A C The delay which has unavoidably occurred in the printing of the following report and the accompanying papers affords an opportunity to prefix a brief statement of the progress made since the report was submitted to Congress. Most gratifying results have been realized in Pennsylvania from the energy and enthusiasm displayed by the people. The appropriations by the State and by the city of Philadelphia amount to about three millions of dollars, or nearly one-third of the capital required. In the Territory of Arizona the people have subscribed liberally, and the subscriptions for the remaining part of her quota have been guaranteed by a patriotic citizen of that Territory. From Oregon, also, confident assurances have been received, through the commissioner from that State, that steps have been taken which practically secures the assumption of the whole quota of stock allotted to her. In the other States and Territories, although some progress has been made in subscriptions, they have been awaiting the action of Pennsylvania, which it was conceded would be decisive of the success of the movement. It is now, however, essential to that success that the people of those other States and Territories should see that the quotas of stock apportioned to them are taken up with a promptness and zeal characteristic of the country and of the occasion. The Centennial Board Of Finance. On the 23d of April last the election of the directors of the Centennial Board of Finance took place at Concert Hall, in Philadelphia, due notice of the election having been advertised in the principal papers of the country. Holders of over twenty thousand shares of stock were represented at the meeting, which resulted in the election of twenty-five directors, who have since organized, elected their officers, and entered upon their duties. List Of Officers And Members Of The Board Of Directors Of The Centennial Board Of Finance. President. - John Welsh, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vice-presidents. - William Sellers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; William H. Appleton, New York City, New York. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The 1876 United States Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia was not only the United States' first important world's fair, it signaled significant changes in the very shape of knowledge. Quarrels between participants in the exhibition represented a greater conflict as the world transitioned between two different kinds of modernity—the Enlightenment of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to the High Modern period of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. At the center of this movement was a shift in the perceived relationship between seeing and knowing and in the perception of what makes an object valuable—its usefulness as a subject of study and learning versus its ability to be bought and sold on the market. Arguments over design of the Centennial reflected these opposing viewpoints. Initial plans were rigidly structured, dividing the exhibits by country and type. But as some exhibitors became more interested in the preferences of their audience, they adopted a more modern stance. Objects traditionally displayed in isolated glass boxes were placed in fictive context—the necklace draped over a mannequin, the vase set on a table in a model room. As a result, the audience could more easily perceive these items as commodities suitable for their own environments and the fair as a place to find ideas for a material lifestyle. Designing the Centennial is a vital first look at the design process and the nature of the display. Bruno Giberti uses official reports of the U.S. Centennial Commission and photographs of the Centennial Photographic Company, as well as the ephemera of the exhibition and literary accounts in books, magazines, and newspapers to illuminate how the 1876 fair revealed changes to come: in future world's fairs, museums, department stores, and in the nature of display itself.