Panama Pacific Exposition of 1915

Panama Pacific Exposition of 1915

Todd was a traveler and would seek out items at artist’s salons and galleries, but also at events and expositions. He attended the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, an event commemorating the opening of the Panama Canal. The ground breaking for the exposition began in October of 1911, and in the years between, various groups in Kalamazoo lobbied to have the city represented at the exposition in some way. States across the US set money aside to have their citizens represented, and by 1913, advertising clubs in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Detroit and other cities mobilized to manage a building for the exhibit. At the exposition, one could expect to see displays from countries across the world, just like a World’s Fair.

A. M. Todd was reported to have purchased a wide variety of items at the exposition, including some from Japan and China. Many of these items became a part of the museum’s collection, including those shown here as part of the furniture exhibit. He also purchased some of the instruments on exhibit in the second-floor history gallery, as well as the large gilded display case in the same section of the gallery.

Lacquer Screen on Carved Base, purchased 1915

Object #32.859