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Special Collections Research Center
William & Mary Special Collections Research CenterVeronica Parker
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Golden Gate Exposition photographs, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.
The Golden Gate International Exposition was planned as a celebration of completion of the Golden Gate and San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridges. Located on Treasure Island, the theme was "A Pageant of the Pacific," to highlight the cultures and countries that shared coastline across the Pacific Ocean. Around twenty-three foreign nations participated in the Exposition. Buildings and sculptures represented a range of styles from across Asia, North America, South America, and the Pacific Islands.
The Exposition commissioned hundreds of artists, engineers, craftspeople, and architects at a time when such work was difficult to come by as the Great Depression gripped the nation. It only lasted two seasons, from 1939 to 1940, as World War II was raging in Europe. After the close of the 1940 season, the Navy gained control of the site for the war effort.
Thirty-six photographs pertaining to the construction and architecture of the Golden Gate International Exposition, which was held at San Francisco's Treasure Island from 1939 to 1940.