Chicago Columbian Exposition Certificate
Executed by the American artist Will Hicok Low, this drawing was commissioned by the Bureau of Engraving & Printing for the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition. Born in New York, Low studied under Jean Leon Gerome and Emile Auguste Carolus-Duran at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. After returning to America, he established himself as an innovative illustrator, decorative painter, and eventually as America's foremost muralist. Low worked for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing during the 1890's. He created numerous designs for currency in addition to this piece. He also painted a famous version of the Madonna, Christmas Morn, which is located in the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art.
Inspiration for this certificate came from the Chicago World's Fair. The top crest features the famous "White City," the exposition's neoclassical buildings. The canoe at the bottom is derived from Fredrick Macmonnies' fountain, the centerpiece of the fair. Christopher Columbus himself stands in the bow of the canoe with symbols of America flanking the White City.
This engraving is a combination of pencil, ink, and gouache, providing a finely detailed model while presenting a balanced composition of light, shadow, and color. The Office of the Curator conserved it in 1993, one hundred years after it was commissioned by the Bureau of Engraving & Printing. This involved its removal from an acidic backing and remounting it on Japanese paper to guarantee its preservation. The surface itself was dry-cleaned and the tears repaired with tissue. The present frame was constructed in 1994. This type of reeded frame was popular during the late nineteenth century.