In June 1864, the United States Sanitary Commission held the Great Central Fair in Philadelphia in conjunction with its auxiliary organization the Relief Committee of the Women's Pennsylvania Branch. From June 7 to June 25, revelers descended on Logan Square and strolled through the fair’s impressive 200,000 square foot central structure filled with themed exhibitions, a restaurant, and military technology displays.
Ground plan of the Great Central Fair, print after work by David J. Kennedy. 1864. David J. Kennedy watercolors collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Buildings of the Great Central Fair, lithograph by P. S. Duval and Son. 1864. HSP graphics collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Established through federal legislation in the early days of the Civil War, the United States Sanitary Commission was a privately-operated relief organization designed to support Union troops during the conflict by providing medical care, financial assistance, and a steady supply of goods to improve living conditions on the front. Based on the British Sanitary Commission that operated during the Crimean War, the organization was structured and led by Henry Whitney Bellows, a clergyman from Massachusetts.
Arrival of Union Volunteer Troops from the Eastern States at Washington Street Wharf, Philadelphia, print after work by David J. Kennedy. Undated. David J. Kennedy watercolors collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Throughout the Civil War, the United States Sanitary Commission raised more than $25 million to fund its activities. Much of this fundraising occurred at large public fairs held in cities including Cincinnati, Boston, and Chicago. Philadelphia’s Great Central Fair ranked among the largest of these fundraising events, and drew perhaps the most well-known figure in the country: President Abraham Lincoln. Attending the fair with his family, President Lincoln donated signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation to help raise money.
A broadside advertising the Great Central Fair. Ephemera. 1864. United States Sanitary Commission Philadelphia Branch collection, Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Copy of the Emancipation Proclamation with Abraham Lincoln's signature. 1863. Historical Society of Pennsylvania Treasures Collection.
HSP has multiple publications and collections relating to this topic, such as the United States Sanitary Commission Philadelphia Branch collection, Great Central Fair of the United States Sanitary Commission Newspaper, and Great Central Fair for the U.S. Sanitary Commission records.