Alaska-Yukon-Pacific World's Fair Exposition Seattle (1909) Ceramic Plate

• Main Authors: Adams, Tunstall England, Collections, Special, Library, Fleet
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@RISD 1909
• Subjects: world's fairs; souvenirs; Art and Design; Pacific; Yukon; Alaska
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/specialcollections_books_worldsfairs/4; https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/context/specialcollections_books_worldsfairs/article/1003/viewcontent/World_27sFair_1909_Alaska_Yukon_Pacific_Seattle.pdf

Ceramic plate produced for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (Seattle 1909), pottery mark on back: Adams Tunstall, England, made for The Bon Marché, Seattle, Washington. Features the Exposition seal, designed by Adelaide Hanscom. Adelaide described her winning event seal logo: The figure to the right typifies the Pacific Slope with right hand extended in welcome, and the left holding a train of cars, representing commerce by land. The figure to the left represents the Orient, and the ship in her hand represents commerce by sea. The central figure in white is that of Alaska, the white representing the North and the nuggets in her hands representing her vast mineral resources. Across the sky in the background is seen the Aurora Borealis so vivid in the North. The purple background with the many colors of the northern lights makes a rich coloring. At the side of the figure on the right are tall trees, typical of the immense forests of the territory represented by the Exposition. My whole idea in this design was to keep it simple and still give suggestions of all the essential things to be represented.” [from: an article written by JoAnne Matsumura in the Black Diamond Historical Society publication, October 2008, p. 12]. Gift of Vincent M. Love, Brown University, Class of 1954. https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/specialcollections_books_worldsfairs/1003/thumbnail.jpg