Tiffany glass and a Ferris wheel – what’s in common?

Colourful and fragile glass "paintings" were inspired by nature, while a massive and sturdy construction was meant to surpass what Guy de Maupassant called "the giant skeleton," the Eiffel Tower.

Tiffany and Ferris knew nothing about each other, while both were already experts in their fields when it became clear that the upcoming world’s fair would be held in the USA. The exposition would be dedicated to the Fourth centenary of the discovery of America and the list of candidates to host the event included New York City, Washington DC, St. Louis, and Chicago. Through several rounds of voting, the United States House of Representatives came to Chicago as the destination.

The World’s Columbian Exposition was a chance for talented engineers, inventors, architects, scientists and artists to showcase their works for international audiences, and both creators used the chance.

The creators

They were born 11 years 4 days and about 1500 km apart. Louis Comfort Tiffany was a son of the jeweller who had founded the luxury jewellery house Tiffany & Co. ten years before, and George Washington Gale Ferris was born to a family of former farmers. Louis was trained as a painter but chose glass as his main material and was earning his living as a designer. George got a degree in Civil Engineering and worked on constructing bridges and railroads.

Their works met at the world's largest exposition.