1875 Centennial Exhibition

Report to the Royal Commission of colony of New Zealand about their participation in the Exhibit. Appendix C is the “Reports of the Special Commissioner to the Chairman of the Philadelphia Exhibition Commission.”

April 25, 1876 letter to Philadelphia Exhibit Commission from A. N. Bothamley, Secretary regarding the plans and the setup of the space for the colony of New Zealand as part of the larger Great Britain exhibit. Included in the report is a summary of the purchased showcases including those by Biele. The text reads:

The two cases marked y (11ft. + 2ft. 2in. + 1ft.), with curved plate glass fronts, are being made in New York by Mr. Biele, of 112, West Broadway, at one hundred dols. each, and are due here to-morrow.

The three counter cases marked x x (11ft. 3in + 2ft. 6in + 10in at back to 5in. in front), are also, being made by Biele, for 6 dols. a foot. This may be slightly exceeded, as I told him to make them thoroughly good, and I would not mind paying another 50 cents a foot.

All Biele's cases will be delivered at the New York depot ; subsequent charges to be paid by the commission.

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The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Officially named the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures and Products of the Soil and Mine, it was held in Fairmount Park along the Schuylkill River on fairgrounds designed by Herman J. Schwarzmann. Nearly 10 million visitors attended the exhibition and thirty-seven countries participated in it.