Letter From Eliza Fisher to Ann F. Fisher, August 7, 1893

4448 Berkeley Av. 8-7-93

My dearly loved Mother, I mailed you a letter on Sat. on my way to the Fair, giving you outlines up to date, for however much I may write my letters will be only outlines to be filled out at leisure when I get home again. After finishing your letter I opened my trunk and found it in good order, took out some dresses, and a few other things, put on my mohair and light hat. While dressing thought "I'll almost melt when I get in the sunshine" but found a stiff breeze blowing which increased in violence.

At top: Remember me kindly to Mrs. Milliken and family. Have asked no questions but want to know how you are getting along. Please put that lb of butter on Mrs. Thrifts acct.

and was the only drawback to the pleasure; men were often seen chasing their hats and the crowd always laughed. H. had his tied, it flew off several times and once, after careening wildly around, whacked me viciously on the head. H. came up at 2 o'clk. I met him at the station. The grade of the road gradually rose so that when one landed at 60th St. we were in the second story and had to descend stairs and pass underneath to reach the Fair entrance. Just before us was the Woman's [Building] and we stopped a moment to gaze bewildered. Take a Graphic picture of it and use the graphoscope on it and you will have a much better idea than I can give you. We were bound for the Manu-

factures building as H. had been in that less than the others. We crossed a bridge to the Wooded Island. Some beds were brilliant with blossoms, especially phlox. Many men were busy placing lanterns for the illumination, these were about as large as a tumbler, of different colors, hung by a wire on ropes or to a rod stuck slanting in the ground letting them dance gaily in the wind. Other men were placing the candles which were a cake of tallow about as large as a silver dollar and half an inch thick it held a wick which floated taper fashion when the heat of the glass melted the tallow. There were thousands upon thousands of them and many japanese lanterns. Our first stop was at the Japan

pavilion showing three eras of architecture and decoration, years 1250, 1450 and 1750, there was not as much change as there has been in Chicage house in twenty years. We left the island at southern end, passed electricity building and entered south corner of manu[facturers] b[uilding]. And now what shall I say, I take a long breath There is the door bell and here is the Enterprise. will only look at the "personals". A Hungarian china exhibit attracted, a wash stand set was only $3.00, immense rose jars of the most beautiful ware, some set with gems, and others seeming to be made entirely of them. We

passed on quickly to the Italian section, the carving in mother of pearl was exquisite. One piece, "The Last Supper" same design as ours, with frame as fine and delicate as lace, all carved in one piece, nearly as large as this sheet opened. One would have been glad to spend the whole afternoon with the sculpture. Among the busts were two with veils, one seeming a thin gauze, the other thicker. The features are seen so plainly behind the veil that I could not believe even when standing beside it that the veil too was marble until I touched it. The children attracted me