>

1939/1940 New York City’s World’s Fair – Hall of Fashion & World of Fashion Exhibits

While looking thru the vast Internet the other day, I stumbled upon an amazing collection of photos from the New York World’s Fair 1939 and 1940 exhibits called, Hall of Fashion & The World of Fashion.

It was a beautiful collection of fashions, style and design. I was instantly drawn in and knew I had to share my findings with all of you.

So for today’s post I am going to supply a high level overview of the history of these exhibits and then showcase a collection of fantastic fashion images I found online at the ‘New York Public Library Digital Collections‘.

Please note, that most of the images will be from the ‘World of Fashion’.

Let’s take a look….

Early 1940s vintage photo of women at the 1939/1940 New York City World's Fair at the World of Fashion, Fashion show either as models in early 1940s fashions or as observers. Stunning!

Models or observers at the fashion show at the 1940 World of Fashion

About the Two Fashion Exhibits (high level overview):


THE FULL HISTORY OF THE EXHIBITS: If you have time, I recommend taking some time to read the full paper entitled “New York Fashion Industry Goes to the Fair” by Luisina Silva -Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Note: This paper is one of the only sources of information I found on the history of these exhibits, so this is why I will be referencing it a lot. I will also be picking high level content to share to get a general idea of what each exhibit is about, as it’s very detailed (as a paper should be).


1940 is America‘s opportunity to show its ability in the fields of design and production.

Mary Lewis, Director of Fashion for the 1940 New York World‘s Fair

These two exhibitions were unprecedented in American fashion history by proving that New York City was much more than the garment manufacture hub of America. Between the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II the New York retail industry, fashion magazines, and cultural organizations implemented a series of changes to grant American fashion a significant role in the world with a strong identity different from European fashion.

New York World‘s Fair of 1939/1940 was the first event where the New York fashion industry presented itself as a consolidated enterprise (Source).

1939 / 1940s New York City's World's Fair 1940 The World of Fashion Exhibit.

The New York World’s fair was open for two seasons, from April to October each year, and was officially closed permanently on October 27, 1940. This was also before the US entered WW2.

The Trylon and Perisphere were two monumental modernistic structures designed by architects Wallace Harrison and J. Andre Fouilhoux that were together known as the Theme Center of the 1939 New York World’s Fair (Source).

1930s vintage poster for the 1939 New York World's Fair-The World of Tomorrow.
1940s vintage poster for the New York World's Fair in 1940 featuring an illustration of a family overlooking the fair grounds.

The Hall of Fashion -1939

1939 New York Worlds Fair featuring the Hall of Fashion. A 1930s vintage postcard illustration

Pylons – On top of Hall of Fashion at night.

1930s vintage photo from the 1939/1940 New York City's Worlds Fair House of fashion building at Night.

The Hall of Fashion was located in the Administration Building that was the main attraction of the Community Interests zone. The Fair organizers, supervised by Fashion Consultant Marcia Connor, planned a space which was arranged according to different fashion styles. The Hall of Fashion had an exhibition area of 26,130 square feet, plus the Fashion Arts program, and an auditorium-restaurant seating of 450 (Source-pg 33) and took 2 years to build.

The space was to be arranged by materials and accessories. The garments and fabrics were displayed on mannequins surrounded by stages that recreated the ambiance. The exhibits were: Rayon, Coats and Dresses, Fabrics, Furs, Millinery, Shoes and Accessories, and Elastic Threads. In addition to the seven areas showcasing distinctive products, the Hall of Fashion had window displays created by department stores and specialty shops advertising their merchandise (Source-pg 33 & 34).

The exhibitions were also grouped by theme, recreating specific ambiances that showcased different garments. For example, “The Sportswear Scene” because sportswear was “America‘s most distinctive form or dress” at that time (Source-pg 35).

Late 1930s Fashion: Women's Sportswear-Tennis Fashion as seen on a mannequin at the Hall of Fashion exhibit at the 1939 New York City Worlds Fair
1939 Tennis Fashion
Late 1930s Fashion: Women's Sportswear-Golf Fashion as seen on a mannequin at the Hall of Fashion exhibit at the 1939 New York City Worlds Fair
1939 Golf Fashion

1939 the luncheon in Hall of Fashion featuring women from the National Advisory Committees – Women’s Participation (a special committee setup to ensure that there were exhibits that would make women come to the fair. This is how the Hall of Fashion was born).

Fantastic hats btw!

1930s vintage photo: National Advisory Committees - Women's Participation - At luncheon in Hall of Fashion at the 1939 New York City Worlds Fair. Fantastic late 1930s hats and patterns on these stylish womens dresses.

Late 1930s Fashions

1939 “Fashion and Fabrics” display featuring stunning velvet gowns with incredible draping and lines.

Late 1930s fashion: velvet gown on a mannequin at the Hall of Fashion exhibit at the 1939 New York City Worlds Fair.
Designed by Jay Thorpe. Only evening gown with sleeves in the exhibit. Medium copper shade.
Late 1930s fashion: velvet gown on a mannequin at the Hall of Fashion exhibit at the 1939 New York City Worlds Fair. Designed by Bonwit Teller. It is a pale beige copper colour.
Designed by Bonwit Teller. It is a pale beige copper colour.
Late 1930s fashion: velvet gown on a mannequin at the Hall of Fashion exhibit at the 1939 New York City Worlds Fair. Designed by Henri Bendel. It is a warm, rich copper velvet.
Designed by Henri Bendel. It is a warm, rich copper velvet.

The World of Fashion – 1940

Note: Most of the images online were from the 1940 show. I tried to show as much of 1939 as I could.

1940s vintage photo of the 'The World of Fashion' exhibit at the New York World's Fair in 1940.

Eleanor Roosevelt and Harvey Gibson (chairmen of the fair board) cut the ribbon for World of Fashion exhibit.

1940s vintage photo of Eleanor Roosevelt and Harvey Gibson (chairmen of the fair board) cut ribbon for World of Fashion exhibit seen at the 1939 / 1940 New York City World's Fair.

The Consumers Building of 1939, located across the Trylon, became The World of Fashion during the 1940 New York World‘s Fair and was organized in only six months (Source-pg 41).

The New York fashion industry was making a big effort to incorporate fashion products to the daily life of American women. It was logical then, to devote a whole area and countless activities of the Fair to send the message that American fashion was an important part of the American culture (Source-pg 47).

The World of Fashion featured new textile technology, and the latest fashions, makeup and hairstyles.

One of the goals of this exhibition was to advertise American designers and the new fashions available for the American women. In addition to the exhibits, there was a theater, and also a restaurant that held daily fashion shows (Source-Page 50).

1930s vintage photo of the World of Fashion Restaurant at the 1939/1940 New York World's Fair. The image features a fashion show happening out front.

Illustration of the Accessory Arcade

Accessory Arcade: “One of the most interesting parts of the important ‘World of Fashion’ exhibit at the World’s Fair of 1940 in New York is the amusing Accessory Arcade. The presentation of the important little things that make or mar costumes will be displayed in cleverly illuminated shadow boxes, the exhibit technique used in New York’s famous Aquarium and some of its most up-to-date museums. Here bags, belts, jewelry, gloves, handkerchiefs, and scarfs will be displayed with all the distinction of rare gems in a Fifth Avenue jewelry shop.” (Source).

1940s vintage illustration of the Accessory Arcade at the 1939 1940 New York Worlds Fair World of Fashion exhibition

Photo of the Beauty Parlor Building

1940s vintage photo of the Beauty Parlor Building at the 1939/1940 New York City World's Fair.

The Early 1940s Fashions

Models in their stylish 1940s pajamas during a fashion show.

Further Reading: Vintage Pajamas & Loungewear of the 1920s-1950s

Early 1940s fashions: Womens Pajamas as seen at the World of Fashion Exhibit at the 1939/1940 New York City World's Fair.

Models in front of the George Washington statue modeling what looks like summer / beach fashions.

I will 100% take the first outfit. Yooza!

Models in front of the George Washington statue modeling what looks like summer / beach fashions. Early 1940s fashions: As seen at the World of Fashion Exhibit at the 1939/1940 New York City World's Fair.

Models at the “Take Away a Dress Fashion Show” at Court of Peace. 10,000 eager women spectators waited to hear their numbers drawn to win one of the 400 dresses, bathing suits, beach robes and sports clothes given away (the image above looks like it is part of this show).

1940s vintage photo: Models at the 1939/1940 New York City Worlds Fair, at the "Take Away a Dress Fashion Show" at Court of Peace. 10,000 eager women spectators waited to hear their numbers drawn to win one of the 400 dresses, bathing suits, beach robes and sports clothes given away.

1940 Teenage fashion show-Brooklyn girls of the Eastern District High School modeling a plaid jacket, blue midriff swimsuit, blue taffeta evening gown, and a blue organdie frock.

1940s photo of teenage girls modeling early 1940s fashions at the World of Fashion Exhibit at the 1939/1940 New York City World's Fair.

Women’s Bathing suits / swimsuits fashion show.

1940s vintage photo of a woman modeling an early 1940s swimsuit at the World of Fashion exhibit at the New York City Worlds Fair 1940
1940s vintage photo of a 2 women modeling early 1940s swimsuit at the World of Fashion exhibit at the New York City Worlds Fair 1940

I adore this swimsuit with the cape and the cute pattern.

1940s vintage photo of a woman modeling an early 1940s swimsuit with a cape at the World of Fashion exhibit at the New York City Worlds Fair 1940

Stylish coats of 1940 for any age.

Further Reading: Plaid: A Fall Fashion Trend. The Vintage Edition & Vintage Photos of Saddle Shoes

1940s fashion as seen in a 1940 vintage photo from the World of Fashion at the 1940 New York City World's Fair. The woman is wearing a long plaid jacket, matching skirt and plaid purse.
Plaid coat, skirt & purse for the win!
1940s fashion as seen in a 1940 vintage photo from the World of Fashion at the 1940 New York City World's Fair-Girls School Girl coats with saddle shoes.
 Group models schoolgirl coats with saddle shoes.

Gorgeous Evening Gowns

1940s vintage photo of a model in a 1940 evening gown at the World of Fashion exhibit at the New York City's Worlds Fair 1940. Fantastic early 1940s fashion inspiration.
1940s vintage photo of a model in a 1940 evening gown at the World of Fashion exhibit at the New York City's Worlds Fair 1940. Fantastic early 1940s fashion inspiration.
Crepe Dinner gown a Bergdorf Goodman original. 1940s vintage photo of a model in a 1940 evening gown at the World of Fashion exhibit at the New York City's Worlds Fair 1940. Fantastic early 1940s fashion inspiration.
Crepe Dinner gown a Bergdorf Goodman original
Germanine Monteil original evening gown-1940s vintage photo of a model in a 1940 evening gown at the World of Fashion exhibit at the New York City's Worlds Fair 1940. Fantastic early 1940s fashion inspiration.
Germanine Monteil original gown

Collection of 1940 Hats

Hat designed for “Best Dressed American Woman”.

“To reflect the dignity and distinction of America’s “best dressed woman”, this beige headpiece with narrow brim and high shirred crown trimmed with paralcoot (spelling?) in several shades of green was designed by Germanine Montabert, internationally famed French milliner, for Mrs. Harrison Williams, acclaimed this year as “best dressed American woman”.

1940s Fashion: Hat designed for "Best Dressed American Woman" at the World of Fashion exhibit at the 1939 / 1940 New York City Worlds Fair.

Hats for Headliners and a large beach hat matched with a rayon suit.

1940s Fashion: Women's Hat seen at the World of Fashion exhibit at the 1939 / 1940 New York City Worlds Fair.
Hats for Headliners
1940s Fashion: large beach hat matched with a rayon suit as seen at the World of Fashion 1940 New York City World's Fair.

Collection of 1940 Hairstyles on Display

Liz note: As a lover of vintage hairstyles, this collection of images is so exciting!

Practice makes perfect! A good hair set is a must when you want to have an authentic vintage hairstyle, or in this case a 1940 hairstyle.

1940s vintage photo: A woman in 1940 at the New York World's Fair at the 'World of Fashion' Exhibit practicing how to set her hair in curlers for an early 1940 hairstyle.

Early 1940s hairstyles aka 1940 were still rooted in late 1930s looks were still popular (but slowly moving away as you can see in a few other photos I have provided).

1940s vintage photo: A woman in 1940 at the New York World's Fair at the 'World of Fashion' Exhibit showing off a 1940 hairstyle (the back) with beautiful sculptured curls. Super early 1940s hairstyle inspiration.
1940s vintage photo: A woman in 1940 at the New York World's Fair at the 'World of Fashion' Exhibit showing off a 1940 hairstyle (the back) with beautiful sculptured curls.

Models putting on their makeup.

I think this has to be my favourite photo of this whole blog post because of the fantastic back view of the women’s hair (fantastic inspiration for those looking to get into 1940s hairstyles).

1940s vintage photo of models putting on makeup at the 1940 New York City World's Fair, World of Fashion exhibit. Fantastic 1940s Hairstyle inspiration!

What a stunning hair crown with a fantastic hat and veil to show it off. Love it!

1940s vintage photo of an early 1940 late 1930s vintage hairstyle featuring a Hair crown with a hat as seen at the 1940 New York World's Fair 'World of Fashion' Exhibit. Fantastic vintage hairstyle inspiration.

In 1940 the US had not yet entered the war, so hair snoods which would become popular with women working in factories, were strictly being showcased at the fair as a fashion accessory.

Crocheted versions (as seen below) were popular because women could make them at home. They were often attached to a ribbon tied in a bow at the top of the crown as our young woman is showing off.

Further Reading: A Vintage Guide to 1940s Hair Accessories (where you can buy your own version of this snood).

1940s vintage photo from the 1940 New Yorks World's Fair, World of Fashion exhibit showcasing women 1940 hairstyles including a crocheted snood to keep your hair tidy. Fantastic early 1940s vintage hairstyle inspiration.

Further Reading: There are so many photos I could not share them all here, so I would 100% recommend taking a visit to the digital archive collection and browsing the stunning fashions at your own pace. ENJOY!!


Fun side note: Lindy Hop was also featured at the the 1939 fair. Here is fun video showcasing this awesome dance (I’m showing this because I’m a lindy hopper).

Excerpts (no sound) from amateur color footage in the Prelinger Archives, taken at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, showing firstly the Savoy Ballroom exhibit, and secondly jitterbugs dancing to Glenn Gray and his orchestra (Source / Video link).

I hope you enjoyed this post and learned a little bit about a large part of the fair that appears to have gone mostly unrecognized (most of my high level research barely said anything about these two exhibits). I know I had no clue about this at all, so I really enjoyed this post.

Please share in the comments section what your favourite photo / fashions were. I love hearing from my readers.

Further Reading (archived Vintage Inn blog posts):

Liz

Vintage Butter & Margarine Advertising

I can’t believe it’s vintage butter & margarine advertising from the 1920s-1950s! If you know the reference then this post is for you. If you don’t and you love vintage ads, then this post is also for you. So sit back, and enjoy!

1940s vintage ad for Parkay Margarine from 1942.

Note: The history of the world butter and margarine and the battle between the two is a long and very interesting read, but too long for my blog (cliff notes: butter hated margarine for being fake & looking like butter). So I encourage you to read some of the links I have provided thru out this post to get caught up.


Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 


Vintage Butter & Margarine Advertising 1920s-1950s

Butter leaflet front cover to encourage the consumption of butter for good health in the 1920s.

1920s vintage leaflet promoting the use of Butter for cooking featuring an illustration of a 1920s mother with her child baking

Source: National Archives

‘Sainsbury’s Rich Dairy Butter -Back to Pre-War Prices!’

Butter ad from the 1920s. Includes the price of ‘1’4 per pound. Also includes the text: ‘A Sample Purchase will convince you of the exception Quality and Value’.

1920s vintage advertisment: Sainsbury's Rich Dairy Butter -Back to Pre-War Prices!'

Source: Sainsbury Archive

1920s ad for ‘Morris Supreme Margarine’. “On baked potato-that’s a good test for the flavor of a spread”.

Further reading: The History Of Margarine Goes All The Way Back To Napoleon

1920s vintage advertisement for MORRIS SUPREME MARGARINE featuring a stick of margarine and a baked potato.

Source: Periodpaper.com

May 1930 vintage ad for ‘Brookfield Butter’ & ‘Brookfield Eggs’ from ‘Swift’s Premium Quality featuring buttery biscuits. Yum!

May 1930 vintage ad for 'Brookfield Butter' & 'Brookfield Eggs' from 'Swift's Premium Quality featuring buttery biscuits.

Source: eBay


FACT: During the Depression, people had less money to spend on butter, so production and usage of margarine increased. By the mid 1940’s, butter shortages during WWII caused the sale of margarine to surpass that of butter (source).


1931 ‘Meadow Gold’ Butter ad – “ Thousands of homes learned today the deliciousness of “june Flavor” butter”

1930s vintage ad: 1931 Meadow Gold Butter Ad featuring an illustration of a 1930s mother feeding her kids.

Source: Atticpaper.com

1930s advertisement for ‘Nucoa’ Margarine, the “Thrift Spread”. “Save you up to 14 cents a pound”.

1930s Vintage Advertisement for Nucoa Margarine featuring an image of 1930s kids running from school with the illustration talking about affordable spread for the kids bread.

Source: Etsy-AmericanCenturyShop

“5,000,000 dairy farmers are doing their part to win the war….There’s plenty of butter for America’s lunch box”.

American Dairy Association butter ad from 1942.

1940s vintage advertisement: American Dairy Association butter ad from 1942.

Source: Etsy-VintageAdCorps

1947 ‘Allsweet Vegetable Oleomargarine’ ad. “There’s nothing artificial about the flavor of this margarine-delicate natural flavor!’

1940s vintage advertisement: 1947 'Allsweet vegetable OLEOMARGARINE' ad. "There's nothing artificial about the flavor of this margarine-delicate natural flavor!'

Source: Etsy- SwellVintageAds

‘Cudahy’s Delrich’ brand of margarine used a “color berry” to color its white vegetable-based margarine yellow. This 1948 advertisement demonstrates how to color the margarine inside the package (source).

Note: Why color the margarine? Let’s just say that this is part of that “long history” I mentioned above that had to do with the battle of butter being yellow (it’s original color) and margarine not having a yellow color without help to it. Take a read here on ‘Food Dye Origins: When Margarine Was Pink‘.

1940s vintage ad: Cudahy's Delrich brand of margarine used a "color berry" to color its white vegetable-based margarine yellow. This 1948 advertisement demonstrates how to color the margarine inside the package

Source: Wikipedia

1949 ‘Parkay’ margarine print ad featuring a vintage recipe for ‘Orange Fluff Frosting’ perfect for the topping of that perfect cake.

1940s vintage ad: 1949 Parkay margarine print ad featuring a vintage recipe for 'Orange Fluff Frosting' perfect for the topping of that perfect cake.

Source: Etsy-AmericanCenturyShop

“Flavor! Nutrition! Econom-e-e! Blue Bonnet Margarine gives “All 3”.

1950’s ‘Fleischmann’s Blue Bonnet Oleo Margarine’, “Winter Snowman” newspaper ad.

1950's Fleischmann's Blue Bonnet Oleo Margarine "Winter Snowman" Newspaper Ad

Source: eBay

1950s butter advertisement (1952) from the American Dairy Association featuring recipes for ‘Almond-Asparagus’ & ‘Butter-Browned Chicken’. “…then you add Butter for flavor!”

950s butter advertisement from the American Dairy Association featuring recipes for 'Almond-Asparagus' & 'Butter-Browned Chicken'. Vintage recipe.

Source: Alamy

1950s Danish margarine advertisement – ‘Kloster Margarine’.

1950s Danish Butter Margarine vintage Advertisement - Kloster Margarine featuring an illustration of a 1950s housewife.

Source: Etsy – OutofCopenhagen

1957 British ad for ‘New Zealand Butter’. “Be certain-order it by name’.

1957 British ad for 'New Zealand Butter' featuring an illustration of a 1950s housewife with a stick of butter.

Source: Alamy

1950s “nutritious” margarine ad from the ‘National Association of Margarine Manufacturers’.

Further Reading: Margarine Bootlegging in Canada (FACT: between the 1880s and 1950s, margarine was outlawed in Canada and margarine-hungry Canadians bootlegged the stuff).

1950s "nutritious" margarine ad from the 'National Association of Margarine Manufacturers'.

Source: Etsy-CalypsoCollecting

1953 American Dairy Association featuring “2 Easy Butter Sauces to make meatless meals sing!”. Vintage recipes for ‘Deviled Eggs Dinner-In-One-Dish’ & ‘Salmon with Easy Hollandaise”.

1950s vintage ad: 1953 American Dairy Association featuring "2 Easy Butter Sauces to make meatless meals sing!". Vintage recipes for 'Deviled Eggs Dinner-In-One-Dish' & 'Salmon with Easy Hollandaise".

Source: Alamy

Generic butter commercial from about 1956, from the American Dairy Association (video link).

I hope you enjoyed these fun butter & margarine ads, please share in the comments section what your favourites were.

Question time: Are you a butter or margarine fan?

Further Reading:

Thanks for dropping by!

Liz