Kaufmann & Fabry ; Photographers

Color Beauties of a Century of Progress Chicago 1933 [Full-Color Kaufmann-Fabry Photographic Record]

Chicago: Exposition Publications and Novelties, Inc., 1933.
A high-velocity visual record of the 1933 World’s Fair, featuring the hyper-saturated color photography that defined the Exposition’s identity.

Unlike traditional black-and-white souvenirs, this work utilizes a sophisticated overprinting process to capture the 'Rainbow City' in its intended brilliance. The layout represents a critical transitional moment in American graphic arts, where the geometric rigidity of Art Deco began to soften into the aerodynamic 'Streamline Moderne' style that would dominate the decade.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: 32 unnumbered pages featuring full-color photographic reproductions by Kaufmann-Fabry. Each image is framed by modernist graphic borders in yellow and gray. 
+++ Binding: Original stapled wraps in an oblong format; the covers are slightly oversized compared to the internal text block. 
+++ Content: Features landmark structures including the Administration Building, the Golden Pavilion of Jehol (Lama Temple), and the General Exhibits Group. Includes a detailed 'Exposition Ground Plan' on the final leaf. 
+++ Imprint: Published by Exposition Publications and Novelties, Inc., a subsidiary of American Colortype Co., Chicago. 
+++ Specs: 8.25 x 6.5 inches.

CONDITION: Very Good. The internal pages are clean with vivid color retention and no significant foxing. The staples are firm and show no rust migration. The oversized wraps show light rubbing to the extremities and typical minor creasing at the spine, but remain bright and structurally sound. A crisp, example of Depression-era souvenir printing.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ---- 
The 1933 Century of Progress Exposition served as a turning point in American architectural history, signaling the shift from the ornate Art Deco of the 1920s to the sleeker Streamline Moderne (or 'Machine Age' Modernism). While the geometric motifs and bold primary colors seen in the borders of this book retain Deco DNA, the buildings themselves—such as the Administration Building and the General Exhibits Group—showcase the 'fins,' rounded corners, and smooth surfaces of the emerging Modern style. The Exposition was a manifesto for a future built on industrial technology and electricity, and this book functions as the primary visual evidence of that architectural pivot.

The coloring process used in this volume is as significant as the subjects themselves. Produced by the American Colortype Co., these images likely utilized a high-end multicolor letterpress or early offset lithography process involving the layering of separate color plates (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) over black-and-white base photographs. This technique, often referred to as 'Colortype,' allowed for a degree of saturation and depth that exceeded the hand-colored postcards of the era. It was specifically chosen to market the 'Rainbow City'—the first World's Fair to use a coordinated, psychologically-driven color scheme across all major pavilions.

SUBJECTS: World's Fairs, Chicago History, Modernist Architecture, Color Photography, 1933 Century of Progress, Souvenir Book, Photography, Ephemera.

Item #21703

Price: $85.00