Louisiana Purchase Exposition Co. - 1903 dated Stock Certificate - Gorgeous Red Type

Stock printed by Mermod & Jaccard Jewelry Co., St. Louis. Choice! Gorgeous stock!

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition Co., established in May 1901, played a pivotal role in planning and managing the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Led by President David R. Francis, the company’s mission was to commemorate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase through an extensive international showcase. With a capitalization of $15 million, equivalent to over $500 million in today’s currency, the company secured funding through city bonds, private stock subscriptions, and federal appropriations. Under its direction, over 1,200 acres of Forest Park were transformed into a grand landscape, featuring 1,500 buildings, including imposing neoclassical “palaces” dedicated to industry, art, and technology.

The company’s operations spanned from the groundbreaking in 1901 to the fair’s official run from April 30 to December 1, 1904. During this period, the fair welcomed nearly 20 million visitors. While the Exposition Company successfully promoted innovations such as the wireless telegraph and new American foods, its legacy is also tainted by the controversial “living exhibits” that showcased indigenous peoples in ways that reinforced contemporary racial hierarchies. After the fair concluded, the company utilized its surplus profits to fund the construction of the Jefferson Memorial Building, which opened in 1913 and now houses the Missouri History Museum. Today, tangible remnants of the company’s work remain in Forest Park, including the Saint Louis Art Museum, originally built as the Palace of Fine Arts.